Laryngeal cancer is most common among smokers who drink. It’s an explosive mixture

Alcoholism is one of the most common diseases in the world and the cause of both medical and social pathologies, causing over 3 million deaths each year. Drinking alcohol is also one of the most common causes of death in the world, and it is Europeans, including Poles, who drink the most. Does alcohol also affect human DNA?

1. Various compounds that can damage human DNA dissolve very well in alcohol. For example, tobacco smoke, which meets alcohol vapors in the mouth and combines with it, penetrates the body – explains prof. Krzysztof Szyfter from the Department of Cancer Genetics at the Institute of Human Genetics, Polish Academy of Sciences in Poznań
2. As the expert explains, combined stimulants are a real «Molotov cocktail» for the body
3. – It is worth giving an example of laryngeal cancer, which is sometimes stereotypically called “cancer of a real man, because it appears as a consequence of excessive alcohol consumption and smoking
4. You can find more up-to-date information on the TvoiLokony home page

Kill indirectly

According to the WHO report, alcohol is the cause of over 5,3 percent. of all deaths in the world, and as much as 75 percent. of alcohol victims to it men. As admitted by prof. Krzysztof Szyfter from the Department of Cancer Genetics at the Institute of Human Genetics of the Polish Academy of Sciences in Poznań, these statistics are also reflected in cancer genetics, although alcohol has no direct influence on human DNA.

– If we are talking about pure ethanol, it does not have a direct impact on our DNA, which is deeply rooted in the nucleus of every cell in the body and is additionally protected by various proteins that play the role of protective barriers. On the other hand, alcohol dissolves very well various compounds that can damage DNA. In our plant we work, among others with laryngeal cancer, which most often develops among drinkers and smokers. In the mouth, tobacco smoke meets alcohol vapors and combines with it to penetrate the body, damaging DNA – says the professor.

1. Laryngeal cancer – causes, symptoms, treatment

Cancer of a “real man”

Alcohol is the cause of many chronic and civilization diseases, such as cardiovascular diseases and, as noted by prof. Szyfter, the tendencies to them in the next generations are already hereditary. Moreover, stimulants, especially when combined, are a real “Molotov cocktail” for the human body.

1. How does drinking alcohol affect our body?

– It is worth giving an example of laryngeal cancer, which is sometimes stereotypically called “cancer of a real man,” because it occurs as a consequence of excessive alcohol consumption and smoking, which has always been the domain of men (but unfortunately not only). This type of cancer is often heralded by a characteristic hoarseness, so people who observe it should certainly visit an ENT specialist as soon as possible to confirm or exclude the oncological risk. – explains the professor.

Cancer of the larynx is a disease that is still curable too rarely in Poland, according to prod. Szyfter, only 60 percent sick survives, while 40 percent. dies prematurely.

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– Mortality in this disease is still high despite the increasingly modern targeted therapies, in addition to the standard triad of surgery, chemotherapy and radiotherapy. Therefore, the most important thing is fast and effective diagnostics, appropriate treatment and, of course, leading the healthiest lifestyle, which is worth recalling once again – adds the professor.

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We encourage you to listen to the latest episode of the RESET podcast. This time we devote it to the problems of the perineum – a part of the body just like any other. And although it concerns all of us, it is still a taboo subject that we are often ashamed to talk about. What do hormonal changes and natural births change? How not to harm the pelvic floor muscles and how to care for them? How do we talk about perineal problems with our daughters? About this and many other aspects of the problem in a new episode of the podcast.

Read also:

1. 20 things you will notice when you quit drinking alcohol
2. List of products that must never be mixed with alcohol
3. What if you drink alcohol every day for a month?
4. We debunk the myths. Is one cigarette not addictive?