Increased cases of Cancer: Fact or Fiction?

[Pints]

It would certainly seem that the diagnosed instances of cancer has increased over the past few decades. This is often attributed to our different way of life compared with a few generations ago. Today we live with mobile phones, microwave ovens, X-rays, overhead power cables, etc. which, if you wear a tin-foil hat, are all attributable to higher risk and rates of cancer.

However, the flip-side of this may just be that we are now simply better at diagnosing cancer, and yesteryear the cause of death was attributed to other reasons or factors – old age, etc.

I’m interested to hear what the opinion of the amassed PH is on this topic.

[otolith]

If you live long enough without dying of anything else first, you will eventually get cancer.

[Pints]

otolith said:

If you live long enough without dying of anything else first, you will eventually get cancer.

In this current age perhaps but has it always been thus? There are a few old dears well into their 90s and beyond who can't have too many years left on this planet but don't have cancer.

[ucb]

The DoH website may have information on the incidence of cancers.
There is an increasing incidence of cancer even accounting for increasing rates of detection. This would partly reflect both increasing life expectancy and survival from other conditions which might have previously killed and environmental factors including obesity, diet, UV radiation.

[Engineer1]

I suspect the increase in Cancer is simply that people survive other things and you have to die of something cancer is that thing currently. There is probably also an element of better diagnosis.

[Driller]

Engineer1 said:

I suspect the increase in Cancer is simply that people survive other things and you have to die of something cancer is that thing currently. There is probably also an element of better diagnosis.

Not always the case. With certain cancers the incidence falls once you get into the older age groups. Something to do with the cells in the body being much "slower" to multiply.

[otolith]

We all have potentially cancerous cells forming all of the time. Mostly they fail to take or get mopped up by the immune system. If you imagine a really crap sniper taking a pot-shot at you each day, if you live long enough, one day you're going to get hit.

The rate that potentially cancerous cells occur, and the chance of them multiplying and spreading is affected by a whole range of external and internal factors - genetics, radiation, chemicals, viruses, hormones, metabolism, immunosuppression, etc. Some of those factors vary with age, and so some cancers tend to occur more at some stages of life than others.

[Driller]

otolith said:

We all have potentially cancerous cells forming all of the time. Mostly they fail to take or get mopped up by the immune system. If you imagine a really crap sniper taking a pot-shot at you each day, if you live long enough, one day you're going to get hit.

The rate that potentially cancerous cells occur, and the chance of them multiplying and spreading is affected by a whole range of external and internal factors - genetics, radiation, chemicals, viruses, hormones, metabolism, immunosuppression, etc. Some of those factors vary with age, and so some cancers tend to occur more at some stages of life than others.

Your explanation was rather more eloquent than mine