Cancer Awareness Session

Venue – Government Girl’s high School Telugu, Nampally

Situated adjacent to the Nampally municipal office at an elevation is the Nampally Government Girl’s high school. The school was originally a girl’s high school; however, due to the good performance of the students, the government converted it into a co-ed school. The school shares its premises with Government Primary school. The ground floor is used as a high school whereas the classrooms in the first floor are reserved for primary classes

At present there are 206 students in high school.

The government high school imparts education to students in both Telugu and Hindi medium with the help of 12 teachers.  A special feature, the school has a very active music and PT teacher. Even though there is no playground attached to the school, the limited open space is utilized as a playground. The children from the school have won prizes at state level competitions in kho kho.

Approximately 90% of the school kids have jobs in the morning. Girls work as domestic help in affluent homes in the neighborhood where as boys work for newspaper vendors or milk distributor. Based on the feedback received from the teachers, the students are very enthusiastic to learn. All the children have minimum 90% attendance in the school.

We would like to thank NATCO pharma and the school authorities for allowing us to conduct a session on cancer for children.

The program began with a personal hygiene session for all the girls. The session began with a basic introduction about the importance of hygiene followed by the biological changes in the body. We stressed more on the proper usage of sanitary napkins and their disposal. The girls though shy opened up about the issues that they faced during their monthly cycles.

After this, a session on cancer awareness was conducted for boys and girls of 8^th, 9^th and 10^th classes. To generate interest in the subject, the session was very interactive giving enough room for fluid discussions. The session was closed with a success story of a cancer survivor and quiz competition. The winners were given prizes for answering the questions correctly.

  

Foundation Day Celebrations

Basavatarakm Indo American Cancer Hospital and Research Institute was established in the year 2000 with the sole aim of offering affordable cancer care. The journey began with a modest 100 bedded facility. However, to meet the growing demand of patients, the hospital has steadily expanded to to 500 beds now. The journey from 100 to 500 beds wouldn’t have been possible without the support of our team members, patients and their families.

In these 16 years, the team has witnessed some extraordinary individuals lose the battle to cancer while some patients have emerged victorious. In moments of happiness and grief, the team has extended its support to one and all.

At this juncture, we would like to express our heartfelt gratitude to all the patients and their families for giving us an opportunity to serve them.

On the occasion of 16^th foundation day celebrations held on 22^nd June 2016, the hospital conducted games, singing, dancing ,rangoli, and musical chairs competition. A joyous occasion, the hospital honored cancer survivors for their indomitable spirit and courage along with team members for completing a decade of association with the hospital.

Sharing a few glimpses captured during the week long celebrations.

Cancer Myth-busters I

The very name of the disease strikes fear into the hearts of many. And this fear originates from flawed conceptions which become ingrained in the minds of people. Of course there are plausible reasons for this. Cancer by default has no particular or specific cause of occurrence; there are only habits, activities or genetic factors which trigger the same. Albeit a lot have been unearthed in this field, a lot still remains unanswered. But that is no reason for people to be led astray by the myths about cancer which are not only baseless, but also responsible for putting certain psychological restraints on people afflicted with cancer and are on their path of possible recovery. Let’s have a cursory look at some of these cancer myths and the corresponding truth which ousts the former.

Does cancer augur the final countdown?

To those who think that cancer necessitates death sooner or later, how about this: millions of patients survive cancer across the globe. You’ve got to acknowledge the path breaking innovations and advances in cancer treatment for this math. The good news is that earlier a person is screened and diagnosed for cancer, higher is the likelihood of giving him/her the precise treatment and mitigating the ailment. According to certain authentic sources, if diagnosed in early stages, as many as 3 to 4 people have greater chances of survival up to 5 years or more.

It’s become a family heirloom!

“My great grandfather died of cancer. My father died of cancer. Now cancer is going to claim my life.” This has been a very common cancer myth; a paranoia among many who have seen family members die from this disease. Let’s extract the truth out of this. Cancer originates due to certain alterations in the genetic patterns of a person and a majority of such cases of alterations come forth in the later stage of life and are nowhere near hereditary in nature. But it is true that some genetic changes are inherited and they are better looked into by your doctor.

Nothing can be done about it!

There are people who are of the idea that they can literally do nothing about cancer; if cancer has to occur it will, come what may and so on. But this is not entirely true. Yes, there are genetic factors which we cannot influence independently, but there are certain risk factors which are essentially under our control and we can attend to. As mentioned earlier, there are certain behavioral aspects which trigger the onset of a potential cancer. From living a sedentary lifestyle to excessive smoking and drinking, these actually catalyses abnormal cell growth and aggravates the cancer that has started budding.

Striving to maintain a healthy body weight cuts short the risks of several cancers. Getting HPV vaccines wards off infection from the virus that causes most cervical cancers. Needless to say what wonders it might work if one quits smoking. These are practical exercises which when turned into a habit can reduce the risks of cancer drastically.

These are some of the cancer myths which are in dire need of being busted so that they don’t stand in the way of patients fighting to survive this blight. The more we are informed about the preventive aspects of cancer treatment, the easier it becomes for us to mitigate the disease. Watch this space for more myth-busters which will be discussed subsequently.

Best Cancer Hospital in India

Basavatarakam Indo American Cancer Hospital & Research Institute

Road No 10, Banjara Hills,

Hyderabad, 500034, Telangana, India.

+ 91 7729 800 800

+ 91 40 2355 1235

info@induscancer.com

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Related Articles:

Blood Cancer Basics

Cancer: FAQs I

Signs & Symptoms of Cancer: An Introduction

 

Blood Cancer Basics

What is it?

Cancer, as definition goes is characterized by an uncontrolled cell growth. Blood cancer essentially originates where blood is produced; the bone marrow. The bone marrow consists of stem cells which become mature and develop into red blood cells, white blood cells and platelets. Blood cancer also affects the lymphatic system of the human body. It disrupts this normal production of blood cells with an uncalled for growth in the number of abnormal type of blood cells. The worst part is that these cancerous cells pose serious hindrances on the proper functioning of the blood like prevention of profuse bleeding, etc are seriously hampered. These have fatal repercussions since a person is actually stripped of his defenses and he becomes more vulnerable to infections.

Types: Cancer Cure in India

Leukaemia, Lymphoma and Myeloma are the three major types of blood cancer which affect the human body. Let us have a cursory overview of how each one of them aggravates the proper functioning of our mechanism.

Leukaemia:

As we alluded to abnormal cell growth at the very outset, leukaemia takes its toll on the white blood cells. White blood cells as we know are responsible for fighting infections and are manufactured in the bone marrow. When a person is afflicted with leukaemia the production of white blood cells increases abnormally. This clogs the bone marrow and prevents it from producing other blood cells which are required to balance the immunity and maintain proper health of the blood.

Lymphoma:

This particular type afflicts the lymphatic system which is another important component of one’s immunity mechanism. Essentially lymphoma triggers an over production of lymphocytes giving them unusual long life. This causes the immune system to compromise due to an overload. Lymphoma as opposed to other types of blood cancer can develop in many parts or organs of the body namely lymph nodes, bone marrow, spleen, blood, etc.

Myeloma:

We all have heard about antibodies which help us fight infections. Well, these are produced by the plasma cells found in one’s bone marrow. In case of myeloma, plasma cells accumulate in the bone in clusters or groups and hinder normal blood production. These clusters can gradually take the shape of tumors and cause other problems.

Treatment

Let’s debunk the common myths and face the facts. It’s not that blood cancer is incurable, but the adverse effects can definitely be mitigated. In most incidences of leukaemia, the patient is treated with a combination of certain drugs and chemotherapy. Again, in certain cases either the oncologist can recommend a radiation therapy or even a bone marrow transplant. Others like myeloma require specific chemotherapies like Vincristine, Adriamycin or Dexamethasone.

But the preventive approach of this particular blight is to be focused on along with the curative aspect. This is because apart from genetic factors, there are certain external risk factors which influence the incidence of leukaemia or other types of blood cancers. But every cloud has a silver lining; more advanced research and innovations in cancer care are being carried out and certain breakthroughs have also seen the day’s light in this regard. These will undoubtedly take cancer care to a whole new level altogether.

 

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All about Leukaemia

Etymologically, leukos refers to white and aima refers to blood in Greek from where Leukaemia draws its origin. On a deeper note during leukaemia the DNA of immature or young blood cells suffer damage; the exact reason being still unidentified. This particular anomaly triggers a chaotic growth and division among the blood cells. This is a clear digression from the normal death of blood cells followed by the replacement of the same with new ones. This is simply a crowding out effect which these abnormal cells have over the normal blood cells; these abnormal cells simply refuse to die; they persist and accumulate and eat up more space leaving little or almost no room for the normal blood cells thus causing the afflicted to fall ill.

What gets disrupted?

Well the answer is the way the bone marrow functions. The bone marrow is of two types namely red marrow which comprises myeloid tissue and yellow marrow which comprises fat cells. Red blood cells, white blood cells and platelets are produced in the red marrow; the white ones being responsible for combating diseases and red ones for carrying oxygen. As mentioned earlier, leukaemia affects the production of white blood cells wherein they grow abnormally in numbers thus stunting the growth of normal white blood cells. This has a relaying effect on the capacity of the cells to fight off diseases and infections and the person falls ill subsequently.

Types:

Broadly leukaemia can be divided into four types all of which can be either chronic or acute. A chronic leukaemia advances slowly and paves the way for more useful cells to be manufactured. On the other hand, a leukaemia is considered to be acute when the abnormal growth and accumulation of useless white blood cells in the marrow and blood become progressive. Put simply, acute leukaemia crowds out the useful cells more rapidly than the chronic variant.

Leukaemia can be Lymphocytic and Myelogenous on the basis of the type of the affected blood cell. In case the cancerous accumulation occurs in the marrow that produces lymphocytes (a white blood cell type located inside the vertebrae immunity system), the disease is termed as lymphocytic leukaemia. And if the cancerous cell build up occurs in the marrow producing some other types of white blood cells, red blood cells or platelets, the disease is termed as myelogenous leukaemia.

So, as per the math, there can be an acute lymphocytic leukaemia (ALL) and a chronic lymphocytic leukaemia (CLL) and the same goes for myelogenous leukaemia; AML and CML. Those affected with ALL are commonly young children and adults above 65 and the survival rate of the same ranges from 85% among kids to 50% among adults. ALL can be of the following types namely precursor T acute lymphoblastic leukaemia, precursor B acute lymphoblastic leukaemia and so on. CLL is relatively more prevalent among adults aged more than 55 than younger adults. This barely affects children and 75% of those who receive treatment survive the blight for over five years.

AML is more common among adults than children and among males rather than females. Speaking of types, these can be promyelocytic, myeloblastic and megakaryoblastic. This has a lower survival rate as compared to the above two; 40% of those who receive chemotherapy survive for more than 5 years. CML affects the adults majorly. With a high survival rate 90% of patients survive this disease for over 5 years.

Given the respective survival rates of the above mentioned diseases, it is evident that sooner the symptoms are identified and the precise treatment is given to the patient we can actually add a considerable number of years to his/her life.

 

 

Ignorance isn’t always bliss!

It’s inherent human nature that we tend to overlook, try our best not to pay heed to and shove off all seemingly minor ailments as unimportant. But this judgmental behavior can cost us not only in terms of money, time, energy, resources, but even of our lives. It is as they say prevention is better than cure; men in particular can benefit immensely from a timely visit to a doctor rather than writing off their problems as petty. This is even more relevant when it comes to getting diagnosed for a possible cancer.

Yes! Check your breasts
When it comes to your health, you better put all your inhibitions in the back burner. According to oncologists, even if you are a man you cannot wave off the possibility of having breast cancer. Symptoms on which men should keep a watchful eye include:

• Nipple Retraction
• Nipple Discharge
• Skin dimpling or puckering
• Scaling or redness of the nipple or breast skin

These symptoms are more than just worrisome and are better nipped in the bud. A thorough physical examination or subsequent mammograms or biopsies as prescribed by the oncologist are likely to make you better off when it comes to your health.

Don’t push your limits
Pain is something which often succeeds in confusing people. Is the pain muscular? Is it a sprain? Is it a troublesome joint? But oncologists advise that although pains do not necessitate the arrival of cancer, it might be one of the many signs that can lead to cancer.

Pay attention to your private parts
Surprising as it might seem, testicular cancer has a high likelihood of occurrence among men aged 20 to 39. Doctors suggest regular examination by an oncologist or weekly self examinations. Any change in size of the testicles; be it growth or shrinkage should be immediately reported to the doctor concerned. Apart from these, any form of swelling or lump formation, feeling of heaviness in the scrotum or pelvic region should not be ignored. If at all one is diagnosed with testicular cancer, certain blood tests along with ultrasound may be prescribed for identifying the area of origin of the cancer for precise treatment.

Other symptoms
Fever, if unexplained might also be indicative of cancer. This kind of fevers occurs especially when the cancer has spread from its original site and has invaded another part of the body. Unexplained weight loss is also another symptom of cancer. If you are trying to shed weight and it gets reduced gradually over a long period of time it’s a different story altogether. But according to experts if you lose more than 10% of your body weight within a span of 3 to 6 months, then it is bad news.

Given, these signs and symptoms, the allusion to preventive healthcare management is evident. It also obviates the fact that since we are unable to answer the question as to why cancer occurs, we would be better off by addressing these early signs and symptoms by getting them properly diagnosed at an early stage.

Oral Cancer: Symptoms & Risk Factors

Ever felt swollen inside your mouth, or thickening of a particular area or some rough crusts or eroded areas? You might as well keep a watchful eye on whether you are developing red or speckled or velvety white patches inside your mouth. As unwelcome as these instances may sound, but the truth is that they might be the very first of the signs auguring the onset of an oral cancer.
When it comes to the Indian context, the number of new cancer cases recorded every year exceeds a skyrocketing 7 lakhs out of which more than 3.5 lakhs are terminal cases.
Let us turn our attention towards the causative and risk factors of oral cancer. Till 2010, around 34.6% of adults of which 47.9% were males and 20.3% were females consumed tobacco according to the Global Adult Tobacco Survey. And when it comes to smokeless tobacco, the figures are nowhere near promising; 25.9% adults out of which 32.9% are males and 18.4% are females.
Speaking of certain basic facts and phenomena characteristic of oral cancer, it necessarily originates in the oral cavity. The parts of the oral cavity are complex; the lips, then lining of the cheeks, the hard and soft palates, the tongue, the area underneath it, gums, uvula and tonsils. Oral cancer occurs when there is an abnormal growth in the number of cells in any of the above mentioned parts of the oral cavity. Sometimes it is also known as head or neck cancer.
The risk factors can be many. Alcohol and tobacco consumption are the most commonly known and go a long way to cause oral cancer. Other causative factors may also include extreme exposure to the sun where your lips are more likely to be affected. If one already has some form of head or neck cancer, he or she is also vulnerable to the risks of oral cancer. Apart from these, if one is exposed to a HPV (Human Papilloma Virus) infection also, the risks of oral cancer are magnified.
The symptoms as mentioned earlier may show up as patches which are white or red or a mix of these colors. If one has a persistent difficulty in swallowing, bleeding or loose teeth, these might also indicate oral cancer. A sore in the mouth which won’t heal, earaches or lumps on the neck also indicate a possibility of being afflicted with oral cancer.
The preventive measures to keep the risks of oral cancer at bay would be early detection. This can be done by paying the regular visits to your dentist for getting the signs of cancer checked specifically. This is of utmost importance since regular checkups in most cases are able to detect the very first signs that might possibly lead to an occurrence of oral cancer. While diagnosing your physician usually examines the tissues in your mouth for abnormalities as part of the routine examination.
Although there’s no vaccine against cancer, it is up to us to curb the activities and behaviors which contribute a great deal in causing oral cancer, through spreading awareness about the malignant disease.

Cancer: FAQs I

Cancer is…?
However vague as it may sound, the truth is that there is no definite answer to the question as to what exactly cancer is. It is actually an unwelcome conglomerate of more than a hundred diseases. Cancers are of various types but the root cause remains the same; abnormal and uncontrollable growth of cells. If detected early, chances of getting cured are higher than if left untreated which inevitably causes death.
Inception…?
Overgrowth of cells in certain parts or organs of the body marks the beginning of cancer. It is in fact a digression from the natural growth, division and destruction of cells. Cancer cells do not cease to grow; they keep on forming new abnormal cells and they even breach the periphery of other tissues by growing into them.
Technically, cells are rendered cancerous when the DNA (deoxyribonucleic acid) of the cells are damaged. Under normal circumstances, when the DNA of cells gets damaged, the cells try to repair the same and in case it cannot the cell dies. Cancer is a situation where neither of the two occurs; no DNA repair, no cell death. These cells keep growing and forming new ones with the same abnormality in the DNA. This abnormality may be inherited or may be caused due to anomalies in the process of cell reproduction.
Types…?
Essentially cancers are named after the place from which it originated irrespective of the organ to which it has spread. So even if a breast cancer has spread to the bones, it will be called a breast cancer instead of bone cancer. Other types are skin cancer, lung cancer, prostate cancer, endometrial cancer, etc. Moreover, every cancer has its own distinct rate of growth and response pattern. The rate at which a skin cancer grows is most likely to be different than that of lung cancer. This is why the treatment method is also targeted in accordance with the ay a cancer responds to the same.
Causes…?
You cannot afford to blame genetic or hereditary factors each and every time cancer occurs. It must be noted that there are certain activities in which we engage ourselves quite inadvertently; these activities or habits which are seemingly unimportant can cause the deadliest and most aggressive cancers. Take the instance of smoking. This can trigger cancers in your lungs, mouth, kidneys, bladder, throat and the list goes on to many other organs as well.
What would we do without the sun and all the Vitamin D that it provides us with? But at the same excessive exposure to sunlight can enhance your risks of having skin cancer. The same goes for people who prefer artificial tanning beds. Both sunlight and tanning beds are very likely to cause Melanoma which is a very aggressive form of skin cancer. Exposure to certain chemicals and substances like radon in hazardous working environments or to radiation increases the chances of being afflicted with cancer.
Contagious…?
Cancer is not contagious at all. So you would be doing a noble job by not refraining from interacting with cancer patients; they need your support to fight this battle. Although there have been instances of cancer occurrence post organ transplant. When you have an organ transplanted, your immunity system tries to reject it as an alien body; so you take medicines that weaken your immune systems. Recent findings suggest that this risk is more in case of people who undergo solid-organ transplants.
Prevention…?
Smoking damages just about every organ of our body and accounts for almost one-third of all cancer deaths. The rest lies in the hands of the consumers; whether to quit or whether to aggravate the risks of cancer knowingly. Alcohol intake is also associated with certain types of cancers. It does not matter what type of alcoholic beverage you are indulging in; the component ethanol is present in all of them.
So primarily it is the amount you consume over time and not the type of alcohol which influences the risks of being hit with cancer. Paying special attention to nutrition is also important; taking to fresh vegetables and fruits instead of red meats are advised. It is evident that a lot is in our hands and the probability of getting cured also rests with the awareness about our habits; tweak a few and the results can be rewarding.

Symptoms & Risk Factors: “HER” side of the story

Let’s face it! Studies reveal that women are relatively more watchful and particular about undergoing regular as well as recommended health checkups and screenings. It might be in their inherent nature, but it has been observed that women are more willing to have symptoms looked into. Again, younger women have this tendency to ignore their cancer symptoms deliberately. The underlying reason is even more ghastly; some abide by a cultural conviction of their own that cancer is incurable and hence refrain from paying the doctor a visit. In other cases, the mere occurrence of certain symptoms strike fear into women and they tend to become hypochondriac. Let’s have a look into the oft-ignored symptoms.
Abdominal bloating
This is one of the symptoms that women seem to live with effortlessly. They remain clueless about the fact that this bloating might be the first sign of an ovarian cancer. Pelvic pain and abdominal pain are amongst the other symptoms of ovarian cancer. If women feel full even if they haven’t eaten too much or if they face urinary problems like feeling an urgent need to go to the washroom now and then, then there might be chances of them having ovarian cancer. Again, temporary pangs of pain are likely to be more due to gastroenteric problems rather than cancer. But if the bloating is persistent for more than a few weeks consistently, it is wise to consult a physician.
Weight Loss
For a good number of females, it stands out as a matter of glee and more so if they achieve that feat without working out much. But an unexplained and marked drop in bodyweight without any rigorous activity or low food intake can be menacing. Oncology experts suggest that unexplained loss in weight is necessarily cancer unless proven otherwise like an overactive thyroid, etc. Here, the doctor rules out the possibilities one by one before confirming the presence of cancer.
Unusual inter-period bleeding
Ignorance of inter-period or between-period bleeding is very common among premenopausal women. They are also likely to mistake a GI tract bleeding for a period. Inter-period bleeding can be the symptom for endometrial cancer while GI tract bleeding is the symptom of colorectal cancer. Endometrial is a more common gynecological cancer and in almost 75% of cases abnormal bleeding is the early sign.

Breast changes
Even if women do not perform regular self examinations, most know their breasts well. It is advisable to be on the lookout for lumps. Apart from that, redness of the skin, puckering and thickening of the skin can also be some of the symptoms of aggressive and inflammatory breast cancers. If rashes sustain over weeks women would be better off having them checked by the physician. It is the appearance of the breast which helps you determine whether women are likely to have breast cancer or not.
Risk factors
Now, reverting to the various risk factors and preventive checklist to abide by let us take up the most common cancers women have –
Breast cancer
Age factors like whether the woman is above forty years of age, whether she was exposed to radiation or prior cancer treatments, hereditary factors, occurrence of menstruating before 12 or menopause after 55, etc. are some of the causative risk factors for breast cancer. Apart from these, if women have undergone any hormone replacement therapy, or consumed alcohol the risks of breast cancer are likely to be high. Preventive measures would essentially include cutting down on alcohol intake and taking genetic counseling or enrolling for chemoprevention studies.
Endometrial Cancer
Diabetes, early occurrences of breast cancer, exposure of your pelvis to radiation therapy, obesity issues, history of infertility, long term intakes of Tamoxifen or estrogen replacement therapy without progesterone are some of the risk factors associated with endometrial cancer. The preventive measures in this case would be attempting to maintain a healthy body weight, consulting your doctor regarding your hormone intake in case you still have your uterus, etc.
It is actually the awareness or will to be cured that would help you get over with cancer. The symptom may be deadly or the cancer may be aggravated, but it does not necessitate that the cancer cannot be cured or mitigated. Early detection and paying your body the desired attention is the key to overcome this blight.

Symptoms & Risk Factors: “HIS” side of the story

Health professionals and oncology experts are of the opinion that men are most likely to be better off by keeping a watchful eye on certain symptoms of cancer which require a doctor’s attention. But study reports also suggest that men are very reluctant to pay that one visit and undergo routine preventive care which could help them in the long run to keep the risks of cancer at bay. Certain cancers are typical in case of men involving specific parts and organs of the body. Following are some of risk factors and symptoms men should pay heed to –
Pain
Men experience aches and pain as they age. Although all pains do not always allude to cancer but some might actually be the symptoms for some cancers. Any persistent pain should be checked out with the doctor who can record a detailed medical history and decide upon further diagnostic processes. The idea is to pinpoint the root cause of the pain; is it really cancer or is it something else entirely. Even if it is not cancerous cells men can still benefit from the diagnosis.
Breast Mass Development
There’s no particular reason to believe that being men you cannot suffer from breast cancer. Although it is uncommon but again the probability is not entirely zero. Any unnatural formation of mass near the breast region should be immediately checked out with the physician. Other signs that should be taken care of include puckering or dimpling of the skin, scaling or redness of the nipple or breast skin, retraction of the nipple and nipple discharges. The need to report these signs and symptoms is dire since based on these the doctor can direct you to go for a mammogram or biopsy, etc.
Men are even victims of testicular cancer which usually hit them when they are 20 to 39 years of age. Here, the cancerous cells spread slowly or rapidly through the blood vessels and lymphatic nodes. Again, unfortunately, due to obvious inhibitions, men are averse to going for examinations of the same by doctors. The physicians can also suggest certain techniques of monthly self examination for the same. Moreover, the good news is that testicular cancer is one of the most treatable of all cancers and that too even at an advanced stage. So, nip the problem in the bud, get your symptoms looked into and diagnosed.
Risk Factors
What men should understand is that the factors affecting different cancers have different risk levels as well. For instance, a factor might be more potent to cause skin cancer rather than some other form of cancer. Moreover, the preventive measures for the same would essentially vary.

Skin Cancer
Surprising as it would seem, certain risk factors for skin cancer can originate from activities which you deem as normal. Extensive and excessive sunbathing, using artificial tanning beds or sunlamps are likely to qualify as causative factors for skin cancer. Other factors include your vulnerability towards sunburns, dermatological factors like unusually shaped moles, the color of your hair, the climate you live in or are exposed to for relatively longer periods of time, hereditary issues relating to skin cancer, exposure to radiation and chemicals like arsenic, coal tar, paraffin or radium, etc.
Lung Cancer
Non-smokers again need not be very complacent about not being afflicted with lung cancer. Apart from tobacco there are lots of other factors which influence your chance of having lung cancer. Working in an atmosphere which has asbestos all around, passive smoking, smoking marijuana can cause lung cancer. Moreover, exposures to substances like radon, uranium, arsenic or vinyl chloride is also detrimental for your health when it comes to triggering lung cancer.
Let not these factors cloud your mind if at all you are exposed to the risk factors mentioned above. There will be certain occupational hazards which are quite difficult to overcome. The idea is to abide by that prevention checklist to minimize the risks. Simple habits like wearing a broad brimmed hat when you are out in the sun, using a sunscreen and wraparound sunglasses, avoiding tanning beds, taking proper precautions while working in chemically hazardous conditions and avoiding smoking zones can actually go a long way to help you minimize if not nullify the risks of cancer.