Patrick Swayze Dies – But When Will We Learn?

It is interesting to note that nearly every time a celebrity or other well-known public figure dies of a cancer, there is – for a short time anyway – a great deal of news and attention given to the cancer that happened to be the immediate cause of death.  Not very soon thereafter, the interest in learning or understanding more about the particular cancer in question generally fades away.   In the wake of the recent tragic death of Hollywood icon, Patrick Swayze (on Monday, Sept 14), the news networks are currently ablaze with news about the cause of his death, i.e. Pancreatic Cancer.  But, how long will the interest last – whether in the news or among the general public – in learning how to prevent this, or any another virulent cancer?   Experience suggests: Not too long.  The question is – Why?

 As a research scientist who speaks frequently on Cancer (its current research, prevention, and treatment), I am intrigued to note that among all diseases that exist, Cancer is perhaps the most mis-understood of all diseases even in our current times.  Audiences frequently tell me that they dread this disease more than any other because they perceive that it is the one disease they have the least control over.   And because people erroneously perceive that they have little or no control over preventing the great majority of cancer(s), they tend to just “look the other way” – and especially so after the dust settles on the news of yet another favorite Hollywood star succumbing to this deadly disease. 

But, it’s time to set the record – or at least some facts - straight.  This post is not about Pancreatic Cancer, but about Cancer in general, and the facts that ALL should know.  The facts are these:  Research suggests unequivocally that only 5-10% of all cancer cases can be attributed to genetic defects, whereas the remaining 90-95% have their roots in an individual’s environment and lifestyle (1).   Here is the official breakdown of known factors linked to cancer for all cancer-related deaths:

• Almost 25-30% are due to tobacco use
• As many as 30-35% are linked to diet
• About 15-20% are due to infections
• The remaining percentage is due to other factors such as  exposure, stress, lack of physical activity, environmental pollutants, etc, i.e. “environmental factors.” 

Research also suggests unequivocally that cancer prevention requires:

• Smoking cessation
• Increased ingestion of fruits and vegetables
• Moderate or no use of alcohol
• Caloric control
• Minimal meat consumption
• Whole grain consumption
• Avoidance of direct sun exposure
• Regular physical activity
• Prudent use of vaccinations as needed
• Regular check-ups

The  bottom line?   We can no longer say that we have no control whatsoever over preventing cancer.   The vast majority of cancers are in fact preventable, but they do require major lifestyle changes for most individuals.   Two critical factors that have been studied very extensively through research give support to the preventability of cancer:

1.  The link between diet and cancer is revealed by large variations in the rates of specific cancers in various countries, and the changes observed in the incidence of cancer among those who migrate.  For example:  Asians have been shown to have a 25 times lower risk of prostate cancer and a ten times lower risk of breast cancer than do residents of Western countries, and the rates of these cancers increase substantially after Asians migrate to the West (2).

2.  Extensive studies with identical twins have suggested that genes are not the source of most chronic illnesses.   For example, the concordance between identical twins for breast cancer has been found to be only 20% (3).  Data suggest that instead of our genes, our lifestyle and environment account for 90-95% of most chronic illnesses.

The details we must attend to – and the specific steps we can take - to modulate our risk factors in order to prevent cancer(s) are (needless to say) an extensive topic worthy of a full length book – one in fact that I am working on.  However, the point of this post is simply to share a lesson that I have learnt through many years of study, and the lesson is simply this:  Health and Disease are NOT random states.  There are laws that govern each – and these laws are external, absolute and irrevocable.  They operate regardless of our awareness or our ignorance of them, so that our state of health or disease is pivotally and critically contingent upon the extent to which we understand these laws.  In simple language, this means that the sooner we learn about and align ourselves and our behaviors with the laws that govern a state of health, the sooner we are likely to arrive at that desired destination.  The longer we stay in a state of ignorance or fear, the more likely it is that we (albeit unwittingly and unknowingly) succumb to disease – cancer or any other.

This year, more than 1 million Americans, and more than 10 million people worldwide are expected to be diagnosed with cancer.   This disease continues to be a worldwide killer and accounts for about 23% of total deaths in the U.S., being the second most common cause of death after heart disease.   However, unlike in the case of heart disease, there  has not been an appreciable reduction in death rates for cancer in the U.S.  in spite of an enormous amount of research dedicated to this disease.  This fact alone should propel us all to learn all we can and do all we can to prevent cancer(s) from occurring in the first place.  

What will you do today to that end?   Here is a suggestion:  Start by reading one of the two seminal resources provided at the end of this post.  I assure you that when you do, you will not feel quite as helpless against cancer as perhaps you once did.  And please, feel free to pass on this post and these resources to those in your circle of family and friends who may benefit as well - The world needs this information, and you can help.

NOTES

(1)  Anand, et al.  Cancer is a Preventable Disease that Requires Major Lifestyle Changes.  Pharm Res. 2008; September 25 (9): 2097-2116. 

(2) Food, Nutrition, Physical Activity and the Prevention of Cancer; Diet and Cancer Report

(3)  A.S. Hamilton and T.M. Mack.  Puberty and Genetic Susceptibility to Breast Cancer in a Case-Control Study in Twins.  New England Journal of Medicine 348: 2313-22 (2003)

RESOURCES

Diet and Cancer Report

Anand et al.  Cancer is a Preventable Disease that Requires Major Lifestyle Changes.   Cytokine Research Laboratory, Dept. of Experimental Therapeutics, The University of Texas M.D. Anderson Cancer Center.