My father had pulmonary tuberculosis nearly 4 decades ago.
Clinically, it had been considered healed tuberculosis after timely
treatment along with years of monitoring. Even until 2 years ago before
diagnosis of lung cancer, the only thing showing on his chest X-ray was
a localized calcification (i.e., calcium deposition, a mark of healed
lesion in his case) without any visible changes. Also, he was
symptomless concerning any upper-respiratory diseases. Unexpectedly,
there were some lung malignancies clearly showing on his very last chest X-ray
in 2009 — one that appeared significantly different compared with the
one taken 2 years prior.
There
are countless similar stories regarding the link between personal
histories of infectious diseases and cancer. A friend of mine died of
liver cancer in his 40s — a real tragedy given his age. It turned out
that he had hepatitis (infected with hepatitis B virus) when he was
young.
It’s scientifically proven with regards to infection-associated
cancer. Pancreatic inflammation appears to increase the risk of
pancreatic cancer, and some patients with pancreatic cancer had history
of pancreatitis. A history of urinary tract infection is currently
accepted as a risk factor for developing bladder cancer, and has been
positively linked to the development of renal cell carcinoma (kidney
cancer), with notably elevated risks for men with a history of smoking.
An infective agent is linked to some of the most common cancers.
Human papilloma virus (HPV, also called “wart virus”) is responsible
for cervical cancer, one of the most common cancers affecting women. A
two-fold danger exists with this disease. First, HPV is highly
transmissible and considered the most common sexually transmitted
infection in most populations; second, most women infected with the
virus may become negative within 2 years, or HPV infection can persist
for years in the body without causing any problems. However, women with
persistent high-risk HPV infections are at the greatest risk for
developing cervical cancer. A recent study showed that a sexually
transmitted bacterial infection (known as trichomoniasis) has been
linked to increased risk for advanced prostate cancer – the illness
that strikes nearly 200,000 American men each year.
We can go on and on …
This doesn’t mean that you’ll develop cancer if you have any
infection or inflammation, because infection alone usually does not
lead to cancer. However, it does mean that you need to control your
infection, get it treated timely, and thereafter be vigilant about any cancer risk factors and live a healthy lifestyle.
Photo credit: by Leonardini
