While many continue to say cancer is “genetic” as a throw away answer to avoid any kind of responsibility one has to take care of themselves so that they can play the victim and polluting industries can avoid the accountability, David Wishart of the University of Alberta, published in journal Metabolites, explains the importance of other factors in carcinogenesis.
Nearly all studies of carcinogenesis is categorized into one three groups: genome, exposome, and metabolome. Genome is the focus on how cancer is a result of genetic conditions. Exposome is how cancer developed as a result of what the body is exposed to in the environment. Lastly, metabolome views cancer through a metabolic lens as a metabolic condition. These three categories are very much interrelated leading cancer through feedback loops in its development and subsequent spread.
Fact is, only 5-10% of cancer is inherited, while the other 90-95% is a result of exposome leading to genetic mutations and changes in the metabolism of the body. Genetic research in cancer is problematic because just leads to millions of potential mutations which makes treatment nearly impossible. Therefore, all that fear mongering of convincing people to do genetic testing is just big money because cancer isn’t necessarily inevitable. Genetic research to identify this gene and that gene, is an endless road to nowhere.
In other words, almost all cancer is a result of environmental exposures leading to genetic mutations that turn cells malignant. The malignant cells begin to self-sustaining through the creation of if its own environment via metabolism. Therefore, research needs to focus on what in the environment causes cancer (probably almost all is man made) and how does cancer fuel itself.
“If we understand the causes of cancer, then we can start highlighting the known causes, the lifestyle issues that introduce or increase our risk,” stated Wishart.
“From the prevention side, changing our metabolism through lifestyle adjustments will make a huge difference in the incidence of cancer.”
Therefore, the fight against cancer isn’t just looking for cure, which most have been ultimate failures, but we need to focus on lifestyle and environmental policies. That’s where the real war against cancer needs to be waged.
D. Wishart. Metabolomics and the multi-comics view of cancer. Metabolites. https://doi.org/10.3390/metabo12020154
