Various Stages of Cancer Progression and Factors That Aggravate Cancer Risks

Cancer unlike any infectious fever doesn't form overnight.
For example malarial fever, typhoid, jaundice etc.
may affect a person within days of coming in contact with the virus or bacteria but it may take decades for the cancer to get initiated, progress and prove fatal.
There are various stages of the cancer first is the presence of carcinogens.
There has to be presence of carcinogens in the body.
Carcinogens are free radicals that are formed due to normal body metabolism as well as external factors like smoke, environmental pollution, pesticides entering body through food chain etc.
The second stage is the process of initiation where these carcinogens cause sufficient cellular damage and affect the DNA structure.
The third stage of cancer is the promotion and progressions towards a clinically defined cancer state.
We have to note that in many cases the cancer may be dormant for many years and may not even progress to clinical cancer in the life time of the afflicted.
This is known as benign type of cancer.
The third stage of cancer is the condition where it can be clinically defined as one.
The fourth stage is the metastasis of cancer.
In this stage the cancer cells break down and enter the bloodstream.
They in turn damage the other tissues and organs of the body which are not in direct contact with the original affected region.
Different factors cause, promote, maintain, stop and prevent the cancer process at each of these levels.
Many factors like smoking, tobacco, alcohol consumption etc.
may play a role at more than one stage.
Any agent that initiates or triggers the cancer process is a carcinogenn.
All around us in the environment there are such triggers like PCBs or polychlorinated biphenyls which are used widely in variety of electronic goods, machines, cement, paints etc.
Pesticides are potential carcinogens as they can enter our body through food chain easily.
Petroleum-based products, cooking and heating fumes, cigarette smoke (both first- and secondhand) and ultraviolet (UV) radiation from the sun are also the carcinogens.
These high-risk initiators that are widely present in our modern industrial and information age is in addition to the carcinogens that are generated within our body as a part of normal metabolism.
These external carcinogens were not present before 50 years in such a large concentration.
And to add fuel to the fire the processed high fat diet we consume today is totally devoid of any cancer fighting antioxidants.
The results are quite visible.
We are sitting on cancer bomb today.
Cancer is slated to affect one in three Americans in their lifetime and Cancer is set to become the leading killer disease by 2020- the trophy which cancer is going to seize from cardiac disease.