You Are Here: Home > Cancer 101 > What Causes Cancer? : Pg. 4

What Causes Cancer?
The Impact of Risk Factors

Carcinogens: Substances that cause direct or indirect DNA damage are called carcinogens.

During the course of a day, we may be exposed to things in our environment (external problem) that damage our DNA. This damage ordinarily would be repaired by the natural operation of our body. But sometimes these repairs do not happen (internal problem) and the damaged DNA can cause gene mutation, possibly leading to uncontrolled cell proliferation and ever cancer.

Americans commonly use more than 100,000 chemicals, and this doesn't take into account mixtures or combinations of chemicals.

Scientists have been working for several decades to identify substances that may cause cancer.
       
 
They use many methods to do this and begin their examination which may include:
  • Laboratory Studies

  • Animal Studies

  • Human Studies

 
 

Laboratory Studies: These studies consist of examining the effects of various agents on cells or tissues in test tubes.

  • Many initial experiments are conducted in this manner to tease out the details of how cancer cells behave under different conditions.

  • Only after a great deal is understood about the underlying mechanisms is research conducted on live animals.

Animal Studies: These types of studies are done before human studies to get a sense of whether the drug works and whether it will be safe in people.


 
Personalized Medicine
 
Recently Diagnosed
 
Cancer 101
 
Survivorship
 
Research
 
Advocacy
 
Inspiration
 
Resources
 
Webinars
 
e-Training
 
Latina Navigator Training
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
  • When a promising and apparently safe intervention is found in animals and it has been duplicated in several different animal models , it may be followed up with a preclinical trial in humans.
  • Additionally, animal studies are sometimes done to determine whether different agents (e.g., plastics, food additives) cause cancer. It would be unethical to conduct such studies in humans. However, if animal studies determine that these agents cause cancer, they are viewed as likely to do so in humans as well. These studies are tightly regulated by institutional review boards to make sure animals are not mistreated.

Human Studies: These studies may be observational or experimental.

  • In The study of the patterns, causes, and control of diseases such as cancer in groups of people. Epidemiological (observational) studies investigators follow large numbers of individuals to try to determine what factors (e.g., foods , chemical exposures or behavior patterns) are linked or connected to getting cancer.

  • In experimental studies (sometimes referred to as clinical trials) participants are assigned to different groups and managed differently (e.g., given different food supplements) to determine which treatment successfully impacts cancer. There is always a control group that receives the basic cancer treatment - nobody will ever receive a placebo when undergoing a drug trial for cancer.

Read more about this important topic in the Recently Diagnosed-Clinical Trial Section.
All new treatments, including drugs, must go through the clinical trial process.

 

 

 
   
 
 
Site Design by: Cara M. Caloroso
 
CISN Home Page About Us Services CISN Home Page Contact Site Map CISN Home Page CISN Home Page