4 ms·

Workplace exposure to carcinogens is another major factor, as the article notes: > "In 2019, half of all male deaths from cancer, and more than one-third in wo

Workplace exposure to carcinogens is another major factor, as the article notes: > "In 2019, half of all male deaths from cancer, and more than one-third in women, were due to preventable risk factors including tobacco and alcohol use, unhealthy diets, unsafe sex and workplace exposure to harmful products, such as asbestos. From 2010 to 2019, global cancer deaths caused by these risk factors increased by about 20%, with excess weight accounting for the largest percentage of increase — particularly in lower-income nations."

loeg 4y ago
Is unsafe sex an oblique reference to cervical cancer, or is there some other known connection I’m not aware of?
- graeme 4y ago
  Probably hpv. Causes a variety of cancers: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Human_papillomavirus_infection#Cancer https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Human_papillomavirus_infection...
- lkschubert8 4y ago
  There is a pretty strong relationship with HPV and a few different cancers. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5120915/#:~:text=Infection%20with%20high%2Drisk%20human,region%2C%20head%2C%20and%20neck.&text=As%20reported%20previously%2C%20the%20high,and%2022.2%25%20in%20esophageal%20cancer https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5120915/#:~:tex....
- icegreentea2 4y ago
  > The researchers used ‘unsafe sex’ as a proxy for cancer risks associated with human papillomavirus (HPV) and other sexually transmitted viruses. Cervical cancer, which is caused by certain strains of HPV, is the leading cause of cancer deaths among women in sub-Saharan Africa. HPV also plays into a variety of other cancers (throat/mouth, anal, penile, vaginal). Though cervical cancer has by far the strongest link. Throat/mouth/neck cancers are actually strongly correlated with smoking, alcohol consumption, and HPV (https://www.cancer.gov/types/head-and-neck https://www.cancer.gov/types/head-and-neck)
  - mc32 4y ago
    Was this what struck Michael Douglas?
  - freeone3000 4y ago
    It's a good thing we have a vaccine for several of the cancer-causing HPV variants now. It's essentially a vaccine against some cancers -- I would get it if you can.
    - skeeter2020 4y ago
      and yet we run into a strong religious resistance because if some skewed logic around HPV vaccine => wanton premartial sex. Once again the patriarchy strikes.
      - rayiner 4y ago
        [flagged]
- zaroth 4y ago
  I would assume they are talking about HPV which causes cervical, oral, and other cancers effecting men and women. Condoms are at best ~70% effective at preventing HPV transmission so the “unsafe” part doesn’t really strike me as apt. Generally everyone who is sexually active has at least one strain of HPV. HPV vaccination seems like the optimal strategy. It’s so weird to me that initially it wasn’t even offered to boys.
- photochemsyn 4y ago
  There's quite a long list of viruses which have a knock-on effect of increasing cancer risk, although often by indirect routes. HIV of course damages the human immune system, and one immune function is the detection and elimination of cells that have escaped the normal cell cycle control (i.e. potentially cancerous). Hepatitis damages the liver and (often in conjunction with alcohol use) that can raise chances of cancer. HPV I think has a more direct effect, in that the virus actually can integrate into DNA and potentially (depending on the specific strain) disrupt cell cycle control. Here's a list: https://www.healthline.com/health/cancer-virus https://www.healthline.com/health/cancer-virus
- epistasis 4y ago
  HPV causes a wide variety of cancers, and we are learning more all the time. (I'm still furious that this is not a population wide vaccine, and is so limited in its availability.) Epstein Barr spreads primarily through saliva, and also causes 1-2% of cancer, the last time I checked. So that could spread from unsafe sex, but it could also come from picking up slobbery toddler's toys. There's a whole world of virus and infectious disease that is only becoming visible because of the huge advances in nucleic acid sequencing and other massive biotech advances. We may find lots of surprises in the coming decades from this new technology.

loeg 4y ago

Is unsafe sex an oblique reference to cervical cancer, or is there some other known connection I’m not aware of?

graeme 4y ago
Probably hpv. Causes a variety of cancers: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Human_papillomavirus_infection#Cancer https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Human_papillomavirus_infection...
lkschubert8 4y ago
There is a pretty strong relationship with HPV and a few different cancers. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5120915/#:~:text=Infection%20with%20high%2Drisk%20human,region%2C%20head%2C%20and%20neck.&text=As%20reported%20previously%2C%20the%20high,and%2022.2%25%20in%20esophageal%20cancer https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5120915/#:~:tex....
icegreentea2 4y ago
> The researchers used ‘unsafe sex’ as a proxy for cancer risks associated with human papillomavirus (HPV) and other sexually transmitted viruses. Cervical cancer, which is caused by certain strains of HPV, is the leading cause of cancer deaths among women in sub-Saharan Africa. HPV also plays into a variety of other cancers (throat/mouth, anal, penile, vaginal). Though cervical cancer has by far the strongest link. Throat/mouth/neck cancers are actually strongly correlated with smoking, alcohol consumption, and HPV (https://www.cancer.gov/types/head-and-neck https://www.cancer.gov/types/head-and-neck)
- mc32 4y ago
  Was this what struck Michael Douglas?
- freeone3000 4y ago
  It's a good thing we have a vaccine for several of the cancer-causing HPV variants now. It's essentially a vaccine against some cancers -- I would get it if you can.
  - skeeter2020 4y ago
    and yet we run into a strong religious resistance because if some skewed logic around HPV vaccine => wanton premartial sex. Once again the patriarchy strikes.
    - rayiner 4y ago
      [flagged]
zaroth 4y ago
I would assume they are talking about HPV which causes cervical, oral, and other cancers effecting men and women. Condoms are at best ~70% effective at preventing HPV transmission so the “unsafe” part doesn’t really strike me as apt. Generally everyone who is sexually active has at least one strain of HPV. HPV vaccination seems like the optimal strategy. It’s so weird to me that initially it wasn’t even offered to boys.
photochemsyn 4y ago
There's quite a long list of viruses which have a knock-on effect of increasing cancer risk, although often by indirect routes. HIV of course damages the human immune system, and one immune function is the detection and elimination of cells that have escaped the normal cell cycle control (i.e. potentially cancerous). Hepatitis damages the liver and (often in conjunction with alcohol use) that can raise chances of cancer. HPV I think has a more direct effect, in that the virus actually can integrate into DNA and potentially (depending on the specific strain) disrupt cell cycle control. Here's a list: https://www.healthline.com/health/cancer-virus https://www.healthline.com/health/cancer-virus
epistasis 4y ago
HPV causes a wide variety of cancers, and we are learning more all the time. (I'm still furious that this is not a population wide vaccine, and is so limited in its availability.) Epstein Barr spreads primarily through saliva, and also causes 1-2% of cancer, the last time I checked. So that could spread from unsafe sex, but it could also come from picking up slobbery toddler's toys. There's a whole world of virus and infectious disease that is only becoming visible because of the huge advances in nucleic acid sequencing and other massive biotech advances. We may find lots of surprises in the coming decades from this new technology.