Investigating the Relationship Between Lifestyle and Environmental Factors with the Incidence and Prevalence of Cancer

Cancer is the main cause of disability and death in the world. Most of the time, cancer is not related to a person's inherent biology and occurs mostly due to environmental reasons. Rapid and significant changes in the spread of cancer in recent years can only be attributed to the change and attitude of the population in the face of environmental factors. In this study, the available evidence about the environmental factors role and how they affect cancer incidence has been examined. According to the results, smoking, obesity, inactivity, unhealthy diet, air, water, and food pollution, and chronic viral infections are among the important risk factors in the occurrence of various cancers. However, it seems that the evaluation of the exposure level as well as the research methodology has been the main basis of the studies conducted regarding the relationship between environmental pollutants and cancer. Therefore, this disease should be considered from different aspects. The efforts of the scientific community and experts in this field to increase public awareness, gain the support of policymakers, and also create intersectoral coordination to improve lifestyles, reduce risky behaviors, and deal with water, air, and food pollution are strategically important to fight cancer. Based on this, conducting basic and clinical studies and interdisciplinary research for a good understanding of the pathophysiology of cancer and finding more cheaper and effective methods to prevent, diagnose, and treat cancer is necessary and needs the investment of government institutions and non-governmental organizations.