03 February 2010 | General, BMBS
How to Protect Your Healthy Cells from Transforming into Cancer Cells
Every year 3.2 million Europeans are diagnosed with cancer, a figure that is expected to rise due to the aging European population. The good news is that approximately 40% of cancers are potentially preventable.
On 4 February, World Cancer Day 2010 focuses on simple measures that can reduce the risk to develop cancer significantly. If you stop smoking, avoid exposure to second-hand smoke, limit alcohol consumption, avoid excessive sun exposure, eat healthily and exercise regularly you may prevent your cells from damage.
Advancing the knowledge on mechanisms that protect healthy cells from transforming into cancer cells is the objective of a COST network of European scientists. Expected to lead to better prevention, diagnosis and therapy, the Cancer and Control of Genomic Integrity (CANGENIN) Action strives to provide new research models and tools to understand the molecular basis of cancer progression. It focuses on genomic integrity and epigenetics and their dysregulation in cancer. Involving scientists from 21 countries, CANGENIN combines multidisciplinary expertise in biochemical, biological and functional genomics approaches and in exploiting animal models.
