Carnegie Lecture Delves Into Cancers

The Carnegie Foundation for Cancer Research (CFCR) hosted the 9th edition of the Carnegie Lectures on November 7, at the Northern Caribbean University in Mandeville, Manchester.

This annual event brought together medical professionals, researchers, and the public to raise awareness about cancers, their causes, and the latest developments in treatment and prevention.

During his presentation on the relationship between cancer and the environment, Director General for the Hazardous Substances Regulatory Authority (HSRA), Dr. Cliff Riley, delved into the role of environmental hazards in increasing the risk of cancer across the Caribbean.

He shared that those carcinogenic substances like chromium-6 and chemicals commonly used in farming, such as organochlorides, can significantly increase cancer risks.

“While I was in high school, we did a lot of titrations with potassium dichromate (using a solution of known concentration to determine the concentration of an unknown solution) but, shortly after leaving high school we learned that Chromium 6 was a major carcinogen within the environment,” Dr. Riley explained.

He added that “as new knowledge comes to the fore, we recognise the implications of the chemicals that we utilise on a day-to-day basis, whether in education or even for farming practices, like organochlorides (common pesticide), which impacts the likelihood of developing cancer”.

Dr. Riley, who also serves as one of the Directors for the CFCR, further elaborated on the prevalence of cancer in the Caribbean, noting that cancer is the second leading cause of death from non-communicable diseases in the region, surpassed only by cardiovascular diseases.

“Breast and cervical cancers remain the leading causes of cancer-related deaths among women, and prostate and lung cancer among men, with an incidence rate of 48 per cent and 71 per cent respectively, across the CARICOM (Caribbean Community) region,” he said.

Dr. Riley also highlighted that according to the World Health Organization, more than 20 per cent of all cancers are linked to environmental risk factors, citing pollutants such as heavy metals, arsenic, asbestos, and air contaminants and radiation (UV and ionising), as major contributors.

He drew attention to infectious micro-organisms such as bacteria and viruses along with fungal toxins, which can increase the risk of stomach-related and liver cancers, such as H. pylori and aflatoxin B1, respectively.

Dr. Riley also cited other environmental risk factors such as Radon (a radioactive gas produced from the natural decay of Uranium), which is strongly linked to lung cancer, and highlighted the need for monitoring of air quality in homes located in areas with high levels of naturally occurring Uranium, to ensure that Radon levels are within internationally acceptable limits.

The lecture reinforced the Carnegie Foundation’s mission to provide the public with vital information on cancer, its causes, treatments and the cutting-edge medical and technological advances that could lead to a cure.