Gelisim News

Poverty is a reason for cancer

Faculty Member, Dr Gülgün Çiğdem who does multidisciplinary studies named ‘the Cycle of Crisis and Cancer’ added another on the known cancer risk factors. Çiğdem stated that poverty is one of the reasons for cancer according to her research.

Stating that cancer is an important public health problem of the present century due to organ loss and disability as well as being fatal especially in delayed cases, Dr Gülgün Çiğdem, Faculty Member of Istanbul Gelisim University, did a scientific research called ‘Is Poverty Another Cause of Cancer? An Empirical Analysis’. Adding another to the known cancer risk factor in her study that conducted by the 1980-2015’s data taken by Census Bureau of America and National Cancer Institute of America, Ms Çiğdem empirically determined that poverty is one of the reasons for cancer. The study that was stated poverty as a cause of cancer was published in the World Cancer Research Journal in Italy.

“CANCER IS A GLOBALLY ECONOMIC BURDEN”

Pointing out that cancer is a globally serious economic burden as well as its human extent, Faculty Member Dr Gülgün Çiğdem said that globally economic crises lead to unemployment, labour and income loss, ongoing process with poverty, anxiety, stress, weakening of the immune system, telomere shortening, and can eventually lead to a cancer-resulting cycle.

Identifying the relationship between poverty and cancer, which is a result of economic crises in the long run in her empirical analysis, Ms Çiğdem said that she spotted a dual causality between poverty and cancer in the short-term.

According to the result, poverty is a reason for cancer, and cancer is a reason for poverty. Socioeconomically falling into the decline, inability to receive treatment and long-term treatment costs, job loss and loss of income leads to poverty, thus it can be a cause of poverty.
Ms Çiğdem said: “Rather than utilise the humanitarian and global financial burden of cancer, the struggle against economic crises and poverty which is one of the crisis results will cost much more ‘cheaper’”