What Is the Main Idea?
It’s common knowledge that exposure to dangerous chemicals can cause health problems. For example, you have probably heard of asbestos and radiation causing health problems. In particular, cancer is often connected to exposure to dangerous substances. Fortunately, over the years, many substances have been banned, or there are rules to help keep people safe if they work with these substances. In their open-access review article “Occupational and Environmental Cholangiocarcinoma-Related Toxic Exposures”, published in the GE-Portuguese Journal of Gastroenterology, the authors focus on bile duct cancer, and the evidence for community and workplace exposures that can cause this cancer.
What Else Can You Learn?
Firstly, you will learn the names of some dangerous substances that are often connected with many different health problems, not just bile duct cancer. Secondly, you will be able to read more about bile duct cancer and symptoms that you should tell your doctor about.
Take-Home Message
Many of us are exposed to dangerous substances because of where we live or where we work. Although many substances have been banned, or there are workplace and environmental rules to protect us, it is still important that people are regularly screened and tested for any developing problems such as cancer.
What Is Cholangiocarcinoma?
Cholangiocarcinoma (CCA) is a type of cancer that develops in the bile duct.
What Are Bile Ducts?
The bile ducts are part of the digestive system. They are connected with the gall bladder and liver and have tiny tubes which bile passes through. Bile is a digestive liquid produced by the gall bladder. All these organs, plus your small intestine, are called the biliary system.
Is CCA Easily Diagnosed And Treated?
Even though we have modern technology for scans and tests, CCA is hard to discover because it doesn’t give many symptoms until it is almost too late. Treatment involves cancer medicine and surgery to remove it.
What Are the Symptoms of CCA?
Many symptoms of CCA can also be caused by other problems in the body. If you have any of the following symptoms you should speak with your doctor: jaundice (yellowing of the skin and eyes), abdominal pain, clay-colored stools, night sweats, weight loss, fatigue, and digestive problems.
What Causes CCA?
The most common risk factors for CCA include liver problems, bile duct cysts or bile duct inflammation, and in certain parts of the world, parasite infection. It is also known that having inflammatory bowel disease, hepatitis B and C infection, cirrhosis, diabetes, being overweight, alcohol use, smoking, and genetics can increase the risk. Finally, there is a wide range of other occupational and environmental exposures that have been linked to the development of CCA, which is what the paper focuses on.
What Did the Article Investigate?
The authors gathered a list of the most common community and occupational exposures that are possibly connected with the development of CCA. They investigated whether there is enough research to confirm these links and, if so, they examined how they may lead to CCA development. Below is a summary of this list.
Ten Occupational And Environmental Exposures that Might Be Linked to the Development of CCA
- 1,2-dichloropropane: This is a now-banned chemical used in paint stripping and printing industries. Studies have shown that it can cause changes to DNA, which lead to cancer development.
- Aflatoxins: These are poisons produced by some molds. They are connected with liver cancer but the authors report that they do not have a connection with CCAs in humans.
- Alcohol: Heavy alcohol consumption is connected with increased risk of CCA. Alcohol damages the DNA, which can lead to cancer development.
- Arsenic: This is a chemical element which is commonly known to be poisonous. No studies were found that relate arsenic exposure in the workplace to CCA.
- Asbestos: Asbestos fibers are commonly known to affect lung health. However, they can also travel through the digestive system and get stuck in the small bile ducts, leading to inflammation, infection, and then possible cancer.
- Dioxin: Dioxin compounds are environmental pollutants caused by burning and other industrial processes. They have been banned since the 1970s because they are known to cause many health problems, including bile duct cancer.
- Nitrosamines: These are found in tobacco and also some food such as cured meats and smoked fish. There are some risks connected with cancers of the food pipe and stomach, and they might also play a role in the development of CCA.
- Polychlorinated biphenyls: These are compounds used in engine fluids, but are now banned. There is a weak connection with CCA development.
- Smoking: Although it is known that smoking can cause many types of cancer such as lung and mouth cancers, there is not a lot of direct connection with CCA development. It is thought that smoking causes disease in the bile duct cells, which leads to cancer.
- Thorium dioxide: This is a radiograph (x-ray) chemical but is now banned. Due to changing cell process, it leads to a high risk of developing CCA but has also been connected to many other cancers.
- Vinyl chloride: This is a man-made gas used in the production of pipes, insulators, and packaging materials. It is thought that it can lead to CCA by changing DNA.
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