Cancer is a Preventable Disease that Requires Major Lifestyle Changes

This year, more than 1 million Americans and more than 10 million people worldwide are expected to be diagnosed with cancer, a disease commonly believed to be preventable. Only 5–10% of all cancer cases can be attributed to genetic defects, whereas the remaining 90–95% have their roots in the environment and lifestyle. The lifestyle factors include cigarette smoking, diet (fried foods, red meat), alcohol, sun exposure, environmental pollutants, infections, stress, obesity, and physical inactivity. The evidence indicates that of all cancer-related deaths, almost 25–30% are due to tobacco, as many as 30–35% are linked to diet, about 15–20% are due to infections, and the remaining percentage are due to other factors like radiation, stress, physical activity, environmental pollutants etc. Therefore, cancer prevention requires smoking cessation, increased ingestion of fruits and vegetables, moderate use of alcohol, caloric restriction, exercise, avoidance of direct exposure to sunlight, minimal meat consumption, use of whole grains, use of vaccinations, and regular check-ups. In this review, we present evidence that inflammation is the link between the agents/factors that cause cancer and the agents that prevent it. In addition, we provide evidence that cancer is a preventable disease that requires major lifestyle changes

Pollutant effects on genotoxic parameters and tumor-associated protein levels in adults: a cross sectional study

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>This study intended to investigate whether residence in areas polluted by heavy industry, waste incineration, a high density of traffic and housing or intensive use of pesticides, could contribute to the high incidence of cancer observed in Flanders.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>Subjects were 1583 residents aged 50–65 from 9 areas with different types of pollution. Cadmium, lead, p,p'-DDE, hexachlorobenzene, PCBs and dioxin-like activity (Calux test) were measured in blood, and cadmium, t,t'-muconic acid and 1-hydroxypyrene in urine. Effect biomarkers were prostate specific antigen, carcinoembryonic antigen and p53 protein serum levels, number of micronuclei per 1000 binucleated peripheral blood cells, DNA damage (comet assay) in peripheral blood cells and 8-hydroxy-deoxyguanosine in urine. Confounding factors were taken into account.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>Overall significant differences between areas were found for carcinoembryonic antigen, micronuclei, 8-hydroxy-deoxyguanosine and DNA damage. Compared to a rural area with mainly fruit production, effect biomarkers were often significantly elevated around waste incinerators, in the cities of Antwerp and Ghent, in industrial areas and also in other rural areas. Within an industrial area DNA strand break levels were almost three times higher close to industrial installations than 5 kilometres upwind of the main industrial installations (p < 0.0001). Positive exposure-effect relationships were found for carcinoembryonic antigen (urinary cadmium, t,t'-muconic acid, 1-hydroxypyrene and blood lead), micronuclei (PCB118), DNA damage (PCB118) and 8-hydroxy-deoxyguanosine (t,t'-muconic acid, 1-hydroxypyrene). Also, we found significant associations between values of PSA above the p90 and higher values of urinary cadmium, between values of p53 above the p90 and higher serum levels of p,p'-DDE, hexachlorobenzene and marker PCBs (PCB 138, 153 and 180) and between serum levels of p,p'-DDE above the p90 and higher serum values of carcinoembryonic antigen. Significant associations were also found between effect biomarkers and occupational or lifestyle parameters.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>Levels of internal exposure, and residence near waste incinerators, in cities, or close to important industries, but not in areas with intensive use of pesticides, showed positive correlations with biomarkers associated with carcinogenesis and thus probably contribute to risk of cancer. In some rural areas, the levels of these biomarkers were not lower than in the rest of Flanders.</p

The influence of frailty syndrome on medication adherence among elderly patients with hypertension

Beata Jankowska-Polańska,1 Krzysztof Dudek,2 Anna Szymanska-Chabowska,3 Izabella Uchmanowicz1 1Department of Clinical Nursing, Faculty of Health Science, Wroclaw Medical University, 2Department of Logistic and Transport Systems, Faculty of Mechanical Engineering, Wroclaw University of Technology, 3Department of Internal Medicine, Occupational Diseases, Hypertension and Clinical Oncology, Wroclaw Medical University, Wroclaw, Poland Background: Hypertension affects about 80% of people older than 80 years; however, diagnosis and treatment are difficult because about 55% of them do not adhere to treatment recommendations due to low socioeconomic status, comorbidities, age, physical limitations, and frailty syndrome.Aims: The purposes of this study were to evaluate the influence of frailty on medication adherence among elderly hypertensive patients and to assess whether other factors influence adherence in this group of patients.Methods and results: The study included 296 patients (mean age 68.8&plusmn;8.0) divided into frail (n=198) and non-frail (n=98) groups. The Polish versions of the Tilburg Frailty Indicator (TFI) for frailty assessment and 8-item Morisky Medication Adherence Scale for adherence assessment were used. The frail patients had lower medication adherence in comparison to the non-frail subjects (6.60&plusmn;1.89 vs 7.11&plusmn;1.42; P=0.028). Spearman&rsquo;s rank correlation coefficients showed that significant determinants with negative influence on the level of adherence were physical (rho =-0.117), psychological (rho =-0.183), and social domain (rho =-0.163) of TFI as well as the total score of the questionnaire (rho =-0.183). However, multiple regression analysis revealed that only knowledge about complications of untreated hypertension (&beta;=0.395) and satisfaction with the home environment (&beta;=0.897) were found to be independent stimulants of adherence level.Conclusion: Frailty is highly prevalent among elderly hypertensive patients. Higher level of frailty among elderly patients can be considered as a determinant of lower adherence. However, social support and knowledge about complications of untreated hypertension are the most important independent determinants of adherence to pharmacological treatment. Keywords: frailty syndrome, ageing, hypertension, medication adherence, geriatric syndrom

Quality of life of patients with lung cancer

Jacek Polanski,1 Beata Jankowska-Polanska,2 Joanna Rosinczuk,3 Mariusz Chabowski,4 Anna Szymanska-Chabowska5 1Lower Silesian Oncology Center, Home Hospice, 2Department of&nbsp;Clinical Nursing, 3Department of Nervous System Diseases, Department of Clinical Nursing, 4Division of Nursing in Surgical Procedures, Department of Clinical Nursing, Faculty of Health Science, 5Department of Internal Medicine, Occupational Diseases and Hypertension, Wroclaw Medical University, Wroclaw, Poland Abstract: Lung cancer is the major cause of oncologic-related death worldwide. Due to delayed diagnosis, 5-year survival rate accounts for only 15%. Treatment includes surgery, adjuvant chemotherapy, and radiation therapy; however, it is burdened by many side effects. Progress of the disease, severity of its symptoms, and side effects decrease significantly the quality of life (QoL) in those patients. The level of self-assessed QoL helps in predicting survival, which is especially important among patients receiving palliative care. Patients assess their functioning in five dimensions (physical, psychological, cognitive, social, and life roles), severity of symptoms, financial problems, and overall QoL. The QoL in lung cancer patients is lower than in healthy population and patients suffering from other malignancies. It is affected by the severity and the number of symptoms such as fatigue, loss of appetite, dyspnea, cough, pain, and blood in sputum, which are specific for lung tumors. Fatigue and respiratory problems reduce psychological dimension of QoL, while sleep problems reduce cognitive functioning. Physical dimension (related to growing disability) decreases in most of the patients. Also, most of them are unable to play their family and social roles. The disease is a frequent reason of irritation, distress, and depression. Management of the disease symptoms may improve QoL. Controlling the level of fatigue, pulmonary rehabilitation, and social and spiritual support are recommended. Early introduction of tailored palliative treatment is a strategy of choice for improvement of QoL in lung cancer patients. Keywords: lung cancer, prognostic factor, quality of life, adverse events, survival, public health medicin

Psychometric properties of the Polish version of the eight-item Morisky Medication Adherence Scale in hypertensive adults

Beata Jankowska-Polanska,1 Izabella Uchmanowicz,1 Anna Chudiak,1 Krzysztof Dudek,2 Donald E Morisky,3 Anna Szymanska-Chabowska4 1Department of Clinical Nursing, Faculty of Health Science, Wroclaw Medical University, Wroclaw, Poland; 2Department of Logistic and Transport Systems, Faculty of Mechanical Engineering, Wroclaw University of Technology, Wroclaw, Poland; 3Department of Community Health Sciences, UCLA Fielding School of Public Health, Los Angeles, CA, USA; 4Department of Internal Medicine, Occupational Diseases and Hypertension, Wroclaw Medical University, Wroclaw, Poland Abstract: Low adherence to pharmacological treatment is often associated with poor blood pressure control, but identification of nonadherent patients in outpatient settings is difficult. The aim of the study was to translate and evaluate the psychometric properties of the Polish version of the structured self-report eight-item Morisky Medication Adherence Scale (MMAS-8) among patients with hypertension. The study was conducted in a family doctor practice between January and July 2015. After a standard &ldquo;forward&ndash;backward&rdquo; procedure to translate MMAS-8 into Polish, the questionnaire was administered to 160 patients with hypertension. Reliability was tested using a measure of internal consistency (Cronbach&rsquo;s &alpha;) and test&ndash;retest reliability. Validity was confirmed using known group validity. Three levels of adherence were considered based on the following scores: 0 to &lt;6 (low); 6 to &lt;8 (medium); and 8 (high). Complete questionnaires were returned by 110 respondents (mean age: 60.7 years &plusmn;12.6; 54.6% were female). The mean number of pills taken daily was 3.61&plusmn;4.31. The mean adherence score was 6.42&plusmn; 2.0. Moderate internal consistency was found (Cronbach&rsquo;s &alpha;=0.81), and test&ndash;retest reliability was satisfactory (r=0.461&ndash;0.905; P&lt;0.001). Reproducibility expressed by Cohen&rsquo;s &kappa; coefficient =0.61 was good. In high-adherent patients, the percentage of well-controlled blood pressure was higher than in low-adherent patients (33.3% vs 19.1%, &chi;2=0.87, P=0.648). Psychometric evaluation of the Polish version of the MMAS-8 indicates that it is a reliable and valid measure tool to detect nonadherent patients. The MMAS-8 may be routinely used to support communication about the medication-taking behavior in hypertensive patients. Keywords: Morisky scale, medication adherence, hypertension, validation, pharmacological treatmen