According to the AACR,
- In the US, smoking causes 1 in every 5 cancer cases.
- On top of lung cancer, smoking causes 17 other types of cancer, including cancers of the colon, pancreas, liver, kidneys, esophagus, and stomach.
- Cigarettes have nicotine, which compels people to keep smoking in spite of the deadly consequences. 

Note: Text above copied nearly verbatim from my site cancer80.weebly.com

Cancer Prevention | Avoid Smoking

According to Preventing Cancer | AACR Cancer Progress Report 2020,
- In the US, alcohol use causes ≈ 1 in every 15 cancer cases.
- Excessive alcohol use** causes at least 6 different types of cancer, including bowel cancer, breast cancer, and esophageal cancer.
- Although excessive drinking is most dangerous, moderate drinking* also increases cancer risk somewhat.
- ** Moderate drinking is defined as ≤ 1 drink per day for women and ≤ 2 drinks per day for men (AACR).

Text above is copied verbatim from https://cancer80.weebly.com/prevention.html.

Cancer Prevention | Avoid or Limit Alcohol Consumption

According to the American Association for Cancer Research,
- Excessive body fat** is the second leading preventable cause of cancer; it causes about 1 in every 14 cancer cases in the US.
- Obesity is increasing very rapidly (at about 1% each year): obesity affects nearly half the US population.

** Excess body weight is formally defined as pre-obesity (BMI = 25 to 29.9) and obesity (BMI = at least 30). However, note that excess body fat (especially fat near or in between internal organs), not high BMI alone, is the culprit in raising cancer risk. More details on this will be in the child nodes.


Cancer Prevention | Avoid Excess Body Fat

According to the AACR Cancer Progress Report 2020 and the American Cancer Society,
- Unhealthy eating can cause excess body weight, which is the second leading preventable cause of cancer deaths.
- Unhealthy items like processed foods, sugar-sweetened drinks, refined grains increase the risk for cancer.
- Healthy foods like whole grains, fruits, vegetables, and beans lower the risk.

Content above copied nearly verbatim from https://cancer80.weebly.com

Cancer Prevention | Eat Healthy

- According to the AACR Cancer Progress Report 2020,
     - Physical activity reduces stress and improves mood, hence reducing unhealthy behaviors like smoking, excess alcohol use, and unhealthy eating.
     - Sufficient physical activity (≥ 150 min of moderate activity per week for adults, 60 min daily for adolescents) benefits physical and mental health in several other ways, too.​
     - Some physical activity is better than none.
- According to Healthcare Triage, exercise improves overall health in several ways, hence helping cancer patients and caregivers. This is demonstrated in a wide range of peer-reviewed randomized controlled trials.

Content above copied nearly verbatim from https://cancer80.weebly.com.

Cancer Prevention | Physical Activity

- According to the AACR, 1 in every 20 US cancer cases are caused by UV (ultraviolet) radiation. 
- According to the Skin Cancer Foundation, UV exposure causes over 85% of all skin cancers; to reduce UV exposure,
     - Seek shade (especially from 10 AM to 4 PM)
     - Avoid indoor tanning.
     - Wear clothes that cover your arms and legs.  Wearing a wide-brimmed hat and wrap-around sunglasses also helps cover your body.
     - Apply adequate sunscreen, with an SPF ≥ 15 (ideally ≥ 30), at least 30 min before going outside (even if it's cloudy). Reapply every 2 hours. Also, reapply after swimming or heavy sweating.

Content above copied nearly verbatim from Cancer Tutorial | Sai Chengalvala


Cancer Prevention | Limit Unnecessary UV Exposure

According to the American Association for Cancer Research (AACR),
- 4 in every 10 cancer cases are preventable.
- Tobacco smoking (19%), excess body weight (8%), alcohol (6%), UV radiation (5%), poor diet (5%), infections (4%), and sedentary lifestyles (3%) are the main preventable risk factors for cancer.
- Numbers in parentheses indicate % of US cases in adults age >30 attributable to the indicated risk factors.

The above content is copied verbatim from Venkata Chengalvala's website https://cancer80.weebly.com/prevention.html.

University of Michigan - Ann Arbor

- Cancer is a term that refers to a collection of diseases in which some of the body's cells divide uncontrollably and invade surrounding tissues. 
- Cancer can metastasize, i.e., spread to other parts of the body. Metastatic cancer is hard to treat and tends to be fatal. Most cancer deaths are caused by metastasis.

This node should be a relation node, but I can't delete it since it's a root node of the "cancer" tree and it has two upvotes.


Cancer

- Link to the tutorial: cancer80.weebly.com
- Notes: When using this reference, please cite my website and also the primary source of the info (you can find this in the site's in-text citations).

Cancer Tutorial | Sai Chengalvala

American Association for Cancer Research (AACR)

- Many cancer treatments work by suppressing rapidly-dividing cells. Note that cancer cells divide rapidly, but some healthy cells (e.g., white blood cells) also divide rapidly. Hence, the immune system weakens, making the patient more likely to get infected and experience severe COVID-19 complications.

COVID-19 and Cancer Comorbidity

- Note: Having some cancer symptoms/signs doesn't mean one has cancer. Also, many cancers don't have clear signs/symptoms, especially during the early and middle stages.

General Signs/Symptoms of Cancer
- Unexplained weight loss
- Fever
- Fatigue
- Pain
- Skin changes

Signs/Symptoms of Specific Cancers
- Changes in bowel/bladder functions
- Sores that don't heal
- White patches in mouth or on the tongue
- Unusual bleeding/discharge
- Thickening or lump in part(s) of the body
- Persistent Indigestion or swallowing difficulties
- Persistent, "nagging cough or hoarseness"
- Other major changes in how one feels or one's body functions

Signs and Symptoms of Cancer

- Treatment resistance
- Types of treatment (e.g., surgery, chemotherapy, radiotherapy)
- Treatment approaches/aspects (e.g., palliative care, precision medicine)
- Other treatments (e.g., hyperthermia, complementary medicine)

Cancer Treatment

User-Created Sources
- Cancer Tutorial | Sai Chengalvala

Primary Sources
- PeeWeeToms

General 
- Alliance for Aging Research
- American Association for Cancer Research (AACR)
- American Cancer Society
- Cancer.Net
- Demystifying Medicine
- Doc Unlock
- HealthCareInsider
- Healthcare Triage
- Mayo Clinic | Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research (MFMER)
- MD Anderson Cancer CEnter
- NIH - National Cancer Institute
- Rogel Cancer Center | Michigan Medicine

Journals Used
- The Lancet 
- The Lancet Oncology
- Nature Reviews | Clinical Oncology

*Note: This list excludes the references that are only used for the node "COVID-19 and Cancer Comorbidity" and its children. If I include them here, this list will get too crowded and hence will become less useful.

Cancer | References Used

According to the American Cancer Society (original source) and https://cancer80.weebly.com/ (secondary source), 
- In the USA, 1 in every 3 people will get cancer at some point in their lives, and cancer causes 1 in every 5 deaths. 
- Most of us will have a parent, sibling, relative, or friend who eventually dies from cancer.
- Cancer takes a financial, emotional, and psychological toll on patients and caregivers.

Impact of Cancer

Preventable Causes of Cancer

Financial toxicity is when patients struggle with the severe financial burden of cancer treatments. It causes severe distress -- sometimes more than the cancer itself -- even pushing many patients to skip treatment.

Cancer | Financial Toxicity

Cancer health disparities are differences among populations in their treatment and diagnosis of cancer. This is due to social, environmental, and economic disadvantages. 


Cancer Disparities 

Mutant HTT (huntingtin) directly interacts with p53, a tumor suppressor whose mutation is responsible for breast cancers, in mice and flies. Although not always, the phosphorylation of HTT can also induce neuro protectiveness in individuals with Huntington’s and can help regulate cell differentiation and localization. Overall, there is 80% less rate of cancer amongst people with Huntington's than the normal population.

Connection Between Cancer and Huntington's

Cancer forms in the cells of the breasts. Breast cancer can occur in women and rarely in men. Symptoms of breast cancer include a lump in the breast, bloody discharge from the nipple, and changes in the shape or texture of the nipple or breast.

Learn Before

Related

Learn After