Are We Close to Finding the Undisputed Cause of Cancer?

Are we closer to finding the undisputed cause of cancer? I felt that some encouraging reports are due my readers since the previous articles have, no doubt, been discouraging. “To cause”, is to make something happen. “The cause” is the reason something occurs. Regardless of how we say it, the basic question is, “Why do people get cancer?”

The topic, however, includes the word “undisputed”, and this implies that one can state, without reservation, that substance ‘A’ or mechanism ‘B’ caused a cancer to develop. Also, if cancer were caused by an isolated agent or mechanism, then every time that agent is present in every case, or the mechanism was in action, cancer would develop. We know that this is not true, because every smoker does not get cancer. Everyone exposed to asbestos or alcohol will not develop cancer. Certainly, everyone who has used hormones does not develop this dreaded disease.

Researchers believe that pesticides, PCB’s and heavy metals can cause cancer, but most people do not eat organic food exclusively and therefore, most of our population is exposed to carcinogens each day. Again, the entire population does not develop malignant disease. Why does this scenario work in every case of exposure? Could it be that multiple exposures over many years are required to induce cancer? The reasons, no doubt, lie in the fact that the amount of exposure is key. We do not all get the same radiation or radon exposure. We all do not have the same healthy immune systems.

If we were able to apply the scientific method of forming a hypothesis, ie., stating that a specific agent causes cancer, we have to take the next step: experimentation or trials. A significant number of individuals would have to be observed and followed for a credible period of time after being exposed. Only then can we draw logical conclusions that these suspected agents are the only cause of specific cancers. We all know that human experimentation of this type should not exist. We cannot fully rely on animal experimentation to answer the question of causation of disease. Many people also feel that it is unethical to experiment on animals. We, therefore, may never be one hundred percent certain as to the absolute cause of cancers.

The genetic make-up of individuals, no doubt, plays a major role in malignant transformation. It is therefore prudent to look at our bodies as temples and not to expose them to suspected carcinogenic agents and practices.

In previous articles, I have discussed recommended methods and habits that are believed to help many people to prevent cancer development. We encourage our people, who are at increased risk for developing cancers of all types, to consider abiding by the suggestions to partake of organic foods, avoid exposure to radiation, develop a healthy lifestyle, and use credible methods to maintain and strengthen our immune systems. In the meantime, we must avoid the suspected agents in our diet and in our environment. We must protect our DNA from breakdown by these external carcinogens.

A ‘root cause’, by definition, leads invariably to its’ effect. The immediate cause of cancer must be some combination of insults and accidents that induce normal cells in a healthy human body to turn malignant, growing like weeds and sprouting in unnatural places. (Roots of Cancer – Scientific American, pg 57, W. Wayt Gibbs.)

The next article will be: “The Management of Cancer Patients After Initial Treatment”.