Preventable Exposures Associated With Human Cancers

Abstract

Information on the causes of cancer at specific sites is important to cancer control planners, cancer researchers, cancer patients, and the general public. The International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) Monograph series, which has classified human carcinogens for more than 40 years, recently completed a review to provide up-to-date information on the cancer sites associated with more than 100 carcinogenic agents. Based on IARC's review, we listed the cancer sites associated with each agent and then rearranged this information to list the known and suspected causes of cancer at each site. We also summarized the rationale for classifications that were based on mechanistic data. This information, based on the forthcoming IARC Monographs Volume 100, offers insights into the current state-of-the-science of carcinogen identification. Use of mechanistic data to identify carcinogens is increasing, and epidemiological research is identifying additional carcinogens and cancer sites or confirming carcinogenic potential under conditions of lower exposure. Nevertheless, some common human cancers still have few (or no) identified causal agents.

Profile of Non-Communicable Disease Risk Factors Among Employees at a Saudi University

“…The shared environmental and behavioral risk 1 factors for NCDs made an important contribution to the global cancer burden (Lim et al, 2010;Wild, 2012). The global impact of tobacco with cancer in multiple organs (Cogliano et al, 2011), the linked association between insufficient PA and breast, colorectal and endometrium cancers are well recognized (AICR, 2007). Also, reducing the consumption of sugar should help control obesity and overweight, which are risk factors for cancers of the esophagus, breast, colorectum, endometrium, kidney, and pancreas (AICR, 2007).…”

Malignant Tumors of the Female Reproductive System

“…The reference lists of the retrieved papers were also searched for additional relevant papers. Finally, the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) monographs (http://monographs.iarc.fr/) [8] were consulted for further information on carcinogenicity. www.e-shaw.org…”

“…Most vaginal cancers are SCC, and many are preceded by vaginal intraepithelial neoplasia. There is sufficient evidence that HPV16 is causally related to vaginal cancer, and limited evidence that HIV1 is also associated with risk [8]. Diethylstilbestrol causes clear cell adenocarcinoma in the vagina of women who were exposed in utero [8,33]; simultaneous or prior cancers of the female reproductive system confer an increased risk, especially if the women have been treated with pelvic irradiation [32].…”

“…Finally, an agent can be considered carcinogenic to a certain organ, but not necessarily to another one. Table 2 shows the known or suspected causes of cancers of the female reproductive system, abstracted from a summary of the IARC Monographs (Table 2) [8]. Two of these agents or exposure circumstances are directly related to occupational exposures: asbestos (Group 1 agent), which is considered to be www.e-shaw.org carcinogenic to the human ovary [36], and tetrachloroethylene (Group 2A agent), which is considered to be probably carcinogenic to the human cervix uteri [37] (Table 3).…”

“…Two of these agents or exposure circumstances are directly related to occupational exposures: asbestos (Group 1 agent), which is considered to be www.e-shaw.org carcinogenic to the human ovary [36], and tetrachloroethylene (Group 2A agent), which is considered to be probably carcinogenic to the human cervix uteri [37] (Table 3). Exposure to other agents with sufficient evidence of carcinogenicity (Group 1 agents) to the human cervix uteri, corpus uteri, ovary, vulva, or vagina generally occurs though medical treatments (diethylstilbestrol, oral contraceptives or hormone replacement therapy, X-radiation and γ-radiation), environmental exposure (atomic bomb survivors), personal lifestyle habits (smoking, perineal use of talc-based body powder), or viral infections (HIV1, and several HPV types) [8,38].…”