Stephen F. Austin State University

• Is it true that the risk of dying from cancer in the United States is increasing?
• Can bug spray and other chemicals cause cancer?
• Is it dangerous to eat food cooked on a grill?
• How important is it to wear sunscreen?

A portion of the American Cancer Society’s Web site is dedicated to answering these types of questions.

Sixty-eight percent of those who responded to an on-line poll believe that the risk of dying from cancer in the U.S. is increasing. While it is true that the actual number of people who are diagnosed and who die of cancer each year has grown — that is primarily because the U.S. population is growing larger and is aging, the ACS reports.

Actually, the risk of being diagnosed with cancer and the risk of dying of cancer has decreased since the early 1990s, the ACS Web site states. Fewer than half the people diagnosed with cancer today will die of the disease. Some are completely cured and many more survive for years with a good quality of life, thanks to treatments that control many types of cancer, according to the ACS.

The ACS reports that bug sprays are not a cause of cancer, but eating food too often that is cooked on a grill may be a risk for introducing carcinogens into the system.

Many people are now aware of the importance of wearing sunscreen every day, thanks to education efforts on the part of the ACS.

Strides are being made in awareness, prevention and treatment thanks to the work of the ACS — and at Stephen F. Austin State University, biology students also learn about the science behind the disease.

Dr. Stephen Wagner, associate professor in the department of biology, said cancer occurs when the body loses control of the growth and division of cells.

Ninety percent of cancers are carcinomas, while sarcomas, leukemia and lymphomas are considered rare, he said.

“Prostate, breast, lung and colon/rectal cancer account for the highest percentage of cases reported annually,” Wagner said.

Wagner shows his students a slide presentation each semester, featuring a photograph of lungs affected by cancer. He speaks to the students about smoking, and then he shares with them a photograph of a man with no jaw, holding up a can of tobacco, entitled, “But I just chew!”

The wisdom that Wagner and the ACS try to impart, is that simple lifestyle choices can help safeguard against cancer.

Avoiding the use of tobacco and limiting alcohol consumption, eating five servings of fruits and vegetables a day, exercising for 30 minutes at least five days a week and wearing sunscreen are some of the preventive measures individuals can take to protect themselves, Wagner said.

Radiation and chemicals, certain hormones, some sexually transmitted diseases, poor diet, obesity and alcoholism are all linked to cancer, he said.

Scientists believe that the culprit may lie in our very own genes, Wagner said.

“Every human cell contains genes which control cell growth and differentiation,” he said. “These so-called oncogenes could be likened to the accelerator on an automobile. If the accelerator gets stuck, then uncontrolled growth results, possibly leading to cancer.”

Cells also contain genes called “tumor suppressor genes,” Wagner said.

“Their job is to control cell growth, much like a car’s brakes. If the ‘brakes’ fail, then any uncontrolled growth cannot be kept in check,” he said. “Scientists believe that things like tobacco may be the trigger that causes an oncogene to go out of control and/or prevents the tumor suppressor gene from exerting its influence.”

Wagner said people should receive routine physicals for the purpose of early detection.

Mary Beth Garrett, one of Wagner’s colleagues in the biology department, knows all too well the importance of early detection.

Her husband, Dr. Jim Garrett, taught organic chemistry at SFA for 38 years before retiring in 2005.

He was diagnosed with prostate cancer in 1999, and again last year.

Though the Garretts understood the intricacies of the disease, “it still didn’t seem right,” Mary Beth Garrett said.

“It was such a shock,” she said, of her husband’s initial diagnosis. “He has always eaten well, taken care of himself and exercised.”

Those things did not overcome the genetic predisposition that her husband had. Fortunately, the fact that Garrett was fit helped him win his first fight against the disease. He underwent treatment and successfully avoided long-term side effects.

“He continued going back for regular checkups, and his reports were good for seven years,” Garrett said. “But last year, his PSA (prostate-specific antigen) started going up again. His doctor in Houston where he had an ultra-sensitive PSA run said we needed to be aggressive.”

(Elevated PSA levels indicate cancer.)

Garrett said her husband was referred to Dr. Sid Roberts in Lufkin, and he is receiving radiation treatment through Baylor School of Medicine.

“Had he not gone in for regular check-ups, we never would have known his PSA was climbing,” she said.

Garrett is focused on maintaining his weight and drinking plenty of water to flush the toxins out of his system, according to his wife. He plans to win this second fight against the disease.

Wagner said Garrett’s cancer illustrates that no one is exempt, when it comes to cancer.

That is why education and research are so important, he said.

The American Cancer Society’s primary fund-raiser, Relay for Life, is scheduled from 7 p.m. Friday, April 13 to 7 a.m. Saturday, April 14 at Homer Bryce Stadium.

For information, call 1-800-ACS-2345.