Long-term (chronic) inflammation in your body has been
Inflammation is your body’s response to injury or infection. It’s caused by your immune system as a way to allow the damaged tissues to heal. You can see this at work when you get a scrape on your skin, which becomes darkened and swollen as a scab forms. It’s temporary, and the scab falls off after your skin heals.
However, inflammation can sometimes be caused by other reasons and becomes a long-term problem. If it lasts a long time, it can affect the way your body’s cells grow and divide, which can lead to tumors and cancer.
Chronic inflammation can lead to the development of certain cancers through several mechanisms.
Inflammation that continues can damage your DNA and lead to genetic mutations in cells. Genetic mutations in cells are linked to the development of cancer. Additionally, chronic inflammation tells your body to continue its tissue repair processes, which can also lead to mutations in cells.
Your body’s inflammatory response promotes new cell growth and division. This can cause cells to multiply uncontrolled, leading to cancer.
Long-term inflammation can suppress your immune system, reducing your body’s ability to identify and destroy cancerous cells, allowing them to multiply.
Your body’sinflammatory signals can stimulate the formation of new blood vessels, a process known as angiogenesis. These blood vessels can supply nutrients and oxygen and other materials to tumors, promoting their growth and spread.
Additionally, chronic inflammation can help cancer cells
Chronic inflammation is associated with
- long-term infections
- autoimmune conditions, such as ulcerative colitis and Crohn’s disease
- obesity
- a diet high in saturated fat, red meat, alcohol, or processed foods
- lifestyle factors like poor sleep and elevated stress
Chronic inflammation has been associated with the
Because chronic inflammation can lead to several types of cancer, managing chronic inflammation is key to
Chronic inflammation is managed in several ways, including:
- changes to your physical activity, levels of exercise, and diet
- stress management
- medications, such as nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs), corticosteroids, disease-modifying antirheumatic drugs (DMARDs), and biologics
- treating the underlying cause of the inflammation
- quitting smoking, if you smoke
It’s important to note that while chronic inflammation increases the risk of developing certain cancers, not everyone with chronic inflammatory conditions will develop cancer.
Regular screening, early detection, and timely management of chronic inflammation are essential in reducing the associated cancer risks.