Blue Light & Cancer: The Connection
- Cell phones have only been part of our daily lives for about a decade, and it's been asked many times whether or not cell phone usage can be linked to cancer.
- A 2018 study found that "exposure to blue light, which is commonly emitted by cell phones, computer screens and even street lights, may increase your risk of cancer."
- More specifically, the researchers found that blue light exposure doubled a man's risk of prostate cancer and increased a woman's chances of developing breast cancer by 50%.
While the American Cancer Society "does not have any official position or statement on whether or not radiofrequency (RF) radiation from cell phones, cell phone towers, or other sources is a cause of cancer," studies have linked cell phone usage at night to cancer.
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Understanding Prostate Cancer
Prostate cancer is the most common cancer in men. It starts in the walnut-shaped prostate gland, which is located between the rectum and bladder and produces the fluid that nourishes sperm. In the United States, most times this disease is caught with screening examinations.
There's No One Definitive Symptom for Prostate Cancer, But There Are Clues
Sometimes, the disease is called "low-risk" and can be slow-growing, and treatment might not be necessary. In other men, the disease may grow faster or be more aggressive and will require treatment. Since this disease can behave so differently from one person to the next, screening and treatment decisions are individualized for each person.
According to SurvivorNet experts, if you’re diagnosed with prostate cancer, there’s reason for hope, as there are many options to successfully treat the disease. Over the past decade, surgical and radiation options have leaped forward in reducing side effects of treatment while still delivering excellent cure rates.
For men diagnosed with advanced-stage disease, there are many new options that can treat your cancer and allow you to maintain an excellent quality of life.
Understanding Breast Cancer
Breast cancer is a common cancer that's been the subject of much research. Many women develop breast cancer every year, but men can develop this cancer, too though it’s more rare, in part, due to the simple fact that they have less breast tissue.
There are many treatment options for people with this disease, but treatment depends greatly on the specifics of each case. Identifying these specifics means looking into whether the cancerous cells have certain receptors. These receptors the estrogen receptor, the progesterone receptor and the HER2 receptor can help identify the unique features of the cancer and help personalize treatment.
The Unique Features of Breast Cancer: Deciding the Right Course of Treatment
"These receptors I like to imagine them like little hands on the outside of the cell they can grab hold of what we call ligands, and these ligands are essentially the hormones that may be circulating in the bloodstream that can then be pulled into this cancer cell and used as a fertilizer, as growth support for the cells," Dr. Elizabeth Comen, a medical oncologist at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, previously told SurvivorNet.
One example of a type of ligand that can stimulate a cancer cell is the hormone estrogen, hence why an estrogen receptor-positive breast cancer will grow when stimulated by estrogen. For these cases, your doctor may offer treatment that specifically targets the estrogen receptor. But for HER2-positive breast cancers, therapies that uniquely target the HER2 receptor may be the most beneficial.
"The good news is there are so many different treatments and options available, and doctors really are attuned to trying to understand patients better, to figure out what are their individual needs," Dr. Comen said.
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