What Causes Cancer: Possible Cancer Causing Agents

If you're a cancer survivor working on prevention strategies or have never had cancer but are looking to decrease your cancer risks...

one key thing to know is what causes cancer?

Here is something you should know!

The World Health Organization monograph updated Dec 1 2023 includes a comprehensive chart based on cancer types and cancer causing agents that have either "sufficient evidence in humans" or "limited evidence in humans".  Meaning - they either have strong or some evidence that they may be linked to different types of cancers.

While some of the ones included here may be familiar like:

• alcohol
• tobacco
• processed meat
• red meat
• solar radiation
• Viruses:
  • HIV
  • HPV (Human papillomavirus - multiple types)

Others may surprise you like:

• Medications:
  • estrogen-progestogen oral contraceptives (combined) (linked to breast, cervix, liver cancers)
  • estrogen-progestogen menopause therapy (combined) (linked to breast and endometrium cancers)
  • estrogen therapy, postmenopausal (linked to endometrium, ovary, breast cancers)
  • diethylstilbestrol (aka DES used between 1940-1971 in Canada and the US to prevent miscarriages, complications of pregnancy, menopause, etc and discontinued after it was linked to increases of cancer risk in children of the mothers who were prescribed this medication)
  • hydrochlorothiazide (aka "water pills" for high blood pressure that may increase photosensitivity and lead to a small increase in skin cancer risks - sunblock and other protective clothing is even more critical when taking this medication)
• Work related:
  • night shift work (impacting circadian rhythm)
  • firefighter (occupational exposures)
  • dry cleaning
  • hairdresser or barber (occupational exposures)
  • textile manufacturing industry
  • painter (occupational exposures)
  • rubber manufacturing industry
  • aluminum production
  • bitumens (during asphalt or roofing)
  • soot (occupational exposure)
  • petroleum refining (occupational exposures)
  • printing processes (occupational exposures)
  • iron and steel founding (occupational exposures)
• Foods: 
  • pickled vegetables (traditional Asian - dependent on amounts and salt.) 
  • salted fish, Chinese-style

Critical points about this monograph:

• While it gives us the level of evidence of some possible cancer causing agents. It does not give any information on how big or small the risk is (ie. 0.5% or 30% increased risks for example) just that there is a connection for risk to a specific type of cancer seen in research.
• it does not include all causes for cancer but gives a good outline of key agents linked to these cancers

You can take a look and access the full monograph by clicking HERE. 

If you're wondering about what steps you should be taking to help lower cancer risks:

Remember - it's usually not just ONE thing but a "perfect" mix of a multitude of things that can lead to any one type of cancer. So for prevention purposes - a multi prong approach is best!

While you can't control everything - you can control a lot of things that may impact cancer risks including trying to limit/avoid items in this monograph when possible and focusing on stacking strategies like: healthy lifestyle habits, getting to an ideal weight goal, sugar regulation, decrease chronic inflammation, balance hormones, decrease medication load, etc.

What you do can help to offset some of the risks that may come from certain areas in your life - for example, if you have night shift work remember that increased cancer risks seems to be related to your internal clock rhythm and how that disruption may be:⁣⁣

1. impacting how your body functions⁣⁣
2. decreasing melatonin production (which appears to have anticancer properties)⁣⁣
3. leading to unhealthy lifestyle factors (ie. diet, lack of exercise, weight gain, etc)⁣⁣
4. lower exposure to sunlight and decrease in vitamin D levels⁣⁣
5. higher levels of stress⁣⁣

So if you have night shift work, prioritizing your prevention strategies is important with things like:⁣

• eating a healthy plant centered diet⁣⁣
• trying to load meals during daylight hours⁣
• getting movement in daily⁣⁣
• limiting/avoiding alcohol⁣⁣
• ensuring vitamin D levels are optimal
• ⁣⁣prioritizing stress reduction strategies⁣⁣
• working on sugar regulation strategies⁣⁣

I have a video explaining more HERE for you as well.

Hope this helps and empowers you!  Save and share with anyone that needs to see this! 

If you're ready for your recovery and prevention plan - let's do it together!  Book your Discovery Call to see how.

Sources: 

1. International Agent For Research on Cancer. World Health Organization. https://monographs.iarc.who.int/agents-classified-by-the-iarc/ Last update: Dec 1 2023. Accessed last: Jan 10 2024.

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