• Question: Why are there different agents that cause a specific cancer to develop? Which agents cause breast cancer?

    Asked by xheneta1 to Dilwar, Lou, Rachel, Simon, Susan on 19 Nov 2013.
    • Photo: Simon Langley-Evans

      Simon Langley-Evans answered on 19 Nov 2013:

      Any chemical that causes cancer is called a carcinogen. There are thousands of things in our environment that can be carcinogens. Some of them get into the body via our lungs (smoking or air pollution), some through contact with the skin and others get into our food or water. Carcinogens usually have the greatest effects in the tissues that they come most into contact with. Alcohol for example causes cancer in the mouth and throat. Lots of carcinogens in food cause cancer in the bowel. For most carcinogens the effect is not just on specific cancer types. For example a set of compounds called nitrosamines, which form in meat when we cook it, will cause cancer in bowel, lungs, breast and just about anywhere as long as it can get there.

    • Photo: Louise Brown

      Louise Brown answered on 20 Nov 2013:

      I can’t really add anything to Simons answer there! Just to say that UV radiation from the sun and sunbeds normally causes skin cancer, but thats just because it is the first part of the body it gets at, so exposure is strongest. But UV radiation and radiation from Xrays or radioactive substances can cause other types of cancer though too!

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