Cancer
Personally,
I think that one of the most important topics we studied this year was
cancer. Almost everyone we know has been
affected by cancer in some way, and it has taken the lives of too many
people. It’s quite discouraging when you
look at how much money and time we have spent on cancer research, and how
little progress we have made to finding a cause and cure for cancer. In class we learned that though we have spent
over $200 billion on cancer research just in the US, the rate of cancer cases
has increased by 55%. This increase in
cancer cases might be due to the rising population, and the better
technology. We can now scan more people
more accurately, and maybe that is why are identifying so many more cancer
cases than before. However, these two
factors alone are probably not large enough to make such a significant impact
of the amount of cancer cases.
The money
spent on cancer research hasn’t been fruitless.
Researchers have identified several carcinogens: chemicals or substances in the environment
that are known to play a part in causing cancer. One of the things that surprised me the most
was learning that many of the household products we use are dangerous to
us. Companies that produce these
products know that they are dangerous, but they are more concerned about their
profits than the well-being of their consumers. The area of products that I could relate to
the best was cosmetics. Many of the hair
products I use contain sulfates, which are used to make products foam and
lather. Sulfates can be easily
contaminated by a chemical known to cause cancer. Sulfates are used so often in cosmetic
products because many people believe that their shampoos and soaps need to foam
in order for the product to properly clean their bodies. Curious, I decided to check the internet, and
found that lather does not indicate the quality of cleaning you will
receive. Furthermore, sulfates are
actually bad for your hair, and they can dry it up. After learning about the negative effects of
sulfates, I decided to try out a sulfate-free shampoo. It actually made a pleasant difference in the
quality of my hair. I was surprised by
the fact that I can use science for applications that seem superficial and
simple.
During our
discussion on cancer, we learned about a couple of methods of treatment. Most of these methods, such as chemotherapy
and radiation, resulted in severe side effects for the patient. One of the treatments that caught my
attention was biophotonics, which is when you use light rays to try and get rid
of the cancer. It has very few side
effects, and is more accurate than most other treatments.
Another
thing that caught my attention was the fact that we have very little ideas has
to what causes someone to have cancer.
This is important because once we find out what causes cancer, we can
think of ways to stop it from doing so.
Though very few causes have been found, scientists have been able to
determine that exposure to UV rays plays a major role in contracting skin
cancer, especially in red heads. People
with fair skin, more specifically red heads, are known to be more susceptible
to getting cancer from UV rays.
Scientists have recently found evidence that suggests that the cause for skin
cancer in red heads might lie in their pigmentation itself. In the study they conducted, scientists
compared two groups of mice with eachother.
One group’s genes had been programmed to have eumelanin, the type of
melanin found in darker skinned people, while the other group had been
genetically modified to have pheomelanin, which is found in red heads. The scientists found that even without any
exposure to UV rays, the mice with pheomelanin were more likely to develop
malignant skin tumors than the mice with eumelanin. Baffled, the scientists remodified the redheaded mice so that they didn’t have any pigmentation. These newly albino mice had far fewer cases
of cancer, which suggests that the reason for the frequency of skin cancer in
red heads might lie in their pigments.
I found
this study interesting because it shows me a different perspective than what I
have normally seen from science sources.
Usually, I hear about certain carcinogens in cosmetic products, or waste
from energy production/usage. These
findings give me a new point of view in the quest to find a cure for cancer, by
showing me that the cause for cancer isn’t always external. That being said, UV exposure is still a major
factor in skin cancer, and it is best the wear sunscreen or stay out of the sun
when possible.
Bibliography:
http://www.scientificamerican.com/article.cfm?id=redhead-pigment-boosts-skin-cancer-risk
http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/252365.php
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