Environmental Carcinogens and the Future of Cancer Prevention: Leveraging Genomic Surveillance and Artificial Intelligence in Personalized Prevention of Cancer
Ezekiel Tosin Babatunde
Department of Environmental Sciences, Environmental Sciences, Southern Illinois University Edwardsville, United States.
Lydia Amarachi Onwuemelem
*
Department of Medical Laboratory Science, University of Benin, Benin City, Nigeria.
DAVID, Victor Omeiza
Sheffield Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, England.
Olukunle O. Akanbi
National Louis University, Tampa, FL, USA.
Josiah Stephen
Royal Bolton Hospital, Minerva Road Bolton, United Kingdom.
Wonderful Oluwatoyin Anosike
Cumbria, Northumberland, Tyne and Wear NHS Foundation Trust, England.
*Author to whom correspondence should be addressed.
Abstract
Air pollutants, industrial chemicals, and contaminated water are all sources of environmental carcinogens and have been identified as top contributors to the rise in global cancer burden. There is an inequality that exists between developed and developing countries when it comes to the risk of exposure to environmental carcinogens. Lack of regulatory oversight, environmental monitoring, and health care infrastructures are top contributors to the risk of exposures in developing countries. This paper employs a narrative review methodology, drawing on interdisciplinary literature from environmental health, cancer genomics, and artificial intelligence to explore innovative approaches to cancer prevention. AI technologies have made it possible to interpret complex data sets such as genomic profiles, environmental exposure records, and clinical histories, especially with machine learning and deep learning. This paper carefully analyzed the challenges that exist which include, including data privacy, genetic discrimination, algorithm bias, limited funding, and infrastructure gaps in low-resource settings, and this collectively calls for policy reforms, international cooperation, interdisciplinary collaborations, and engagement in community activities. In conclusion, integrating genomic surveillance and AI is a game changer to cancer prevention, changing its scope from reactive care to tailored, personalized treatment interventions.
Keywords: Environmental carcinogen, genomic surveillance, artificial intelligence, cancer prevention