In response to your peers, name at least two environmental carcinogens and propose solutions that could help reduce their amounts.

Classmate # 1 Henry

When we look at these two statements about cancer, “Cancer is a disease of the cell cycle (mitosis)” and “Cancer is a genetic disease.” We really should combine the statements. “Cancer is a genetic disease, that affects our cellular genes, that mainly causing problems with the cell cycle (mitosis).” Cancer is a genetic disease because it is caused by mistake, errors, or mutation in cell genes. The cause very well can be passed down genetically from our parents, they can just easily occur over a lifetime when cells become damaged or through cell division error.

It has become very apparent in recent years that so many of the things in our environment can cause cancer in our bodies. Even the Sun one of the most essential elements of life on our planet can cause cancer from the ultraviolet radiation causing mutation in our cells. One major cause of lung cancer is cigarette smoking. Even for people that have smoked for a long time, quitting almost immediately begins to decrease the risk of cancer and even help to repair damage that has already taken place. Avoiding or at least taking preventative measures to prevent cancer from ultraviolet sunlight exposure are easy, limiting time in the sunlight, wearing dark colors, long sleeves, wide brim hats and most importantly wearing sunscreen with a SPF of at least 15 but 30 is best.

Classmate # 2 Laura

In discussing whether cancer is a disease of mitosis or hereditary, the conversation would be correct for both parties. As a disease of mitosis, cancer cells ignore or override the normal checkpoints preventing cells from over-growing and depleting nutrients. It only takes one cell to change or mutate from a normal cell to a cancer cell. Sometimes this change is in the functions of genes that regulate growth causing mass cell divisions (Pourakpour & Ghassemian, 2015). It also can come from hereditary through genes such as the breast cancer gene (BRCA 1). These types cancers diagnosis are relatively small in comparisons to all the forms and causes of cancer. Another hereditary form of cancer comes from a child receiving an altered gene from their parents because of damage to the cells of the egg or sperm that merged during conception. This is called a “germ-line” mutation as egg and sperm cells are considered germ cells (Weekly Supervised Mitosis Detection In Breast Histopathology Images Using Concentric Loss, 2019).

Germ-line mutations can also be caused by environmental exposure to chemicals, or radiation. These exposures can be passed through families due to a family living in the same area for multiple generations and therefore exposed to the same environmental factors. Environment is not the only exacerbating factor for cancer. Lifestyle and habits are also factors in a cancer diagnosis. Genetic factors may make a person more susceptible to cancer, but their lifestyle avoids cancer growth. Staying out of the sun, maintaining a healthy weight and engaging in exercise all reduce cancer risks. Wearing protective equipment when working in or around carcinogens can also mitigate exposure to cancer causing agents (Koch, 2018).