For Newly Diagnosed Patients - Causes
| 1. Why do some long time smokers never get lung cancer while non-smokers are hit with it? |
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Their bodies may be better at clearing up ‘toxins’ than others. All of us have genetic differences in how we clear away toxins or detoxify. Some are slow others are rapid clearers. Exposing your body to carcinogens like tobacco increases your risk. |
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| 2. How long does it take for cancer to develop? |
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Cancers develop slowly, usually appearing 2 to 40 years after exposure to a cancer-causing agent. This long latent period is one reason why it is so difficult to identify the causes of human cancer. However, scientists agree that people get cancer mainly through repeated or long-term contact with one or more cancer-causing agents called carcinogens. The carcinogens cause body cells to change their structures and grow out of control. Cancer of the lung, for example, may not appear until 30 years after exposure to tobacco smoke. |
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| 3. Why are colorectal and breast cancers so common in Singapore? |
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It’s a combination of factors like diet, genes and environment plus the fact that these are very common cancers in an ageing population. |
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