Cancer
awareness
“Cancer according to World Health Organization (WHO) is a
generic term for a large group of diseases characterized by the growth of
abnormal cells beyond their usual boundaries that can then invade adjoining
parts of the body and/or spread to other organs. Other common terms used are
malignant tumors and neoplasms. Cancer can affect almost any part of the body
and has many anatomic and molecular sub types that each require specific
management strategies”.
Lung, prostate, colorectal, stomach and liver cancer are
the most common types of cancer in men, while breast, colorectal, lung, cervix
and thyroid cancer are the most common among women. Cancer is the second
leading cause of death globally and is estimated to account for 9.6 million
death in 2018. Cancer is therefore one of the deadliest diseases in the world.
Cancer causes or risk
factors: A risk factor is a
substance or condition that increases the risk of cancer. Very few cancers are
caused by only one element. Most appear to be caused by a complex set of many
risk factors, but sometimes cancer occurs in people who have no risk factors.
Cancer risk factors can play different roles in cancer appearance and
development. Examples of cancer risk factors include:
·
to smoke;
·
to
drink alcohol;
·
to
be in contact with harmful chemicals at home or at work;
·
to
be infected with certain types of infections;
·
to
carry certain genetic changes;
·
to
get old;
·
the
overweight or obese;
·
not
to protect yourself from the sun;
·
not
to have a healthy diet;
·
not
to do enough physical activity.
Risk of cancer: the risk of cancer is the probability of being a cancer
patient. Being informed about cancer risk can help you make informed choices
about your health. In general, the more often and longer you are in contact
with a risk factor, the higher the risk of getting cancer. Many years of
exposure to a risk factor can occur before the cancer appears. Cancer usually
appears as a result of exposure to many risk factors over time. You may be in
contact with several risk factors during your daily activities. There are
people who are more likely to have cancer because of certain risk factors. Even
if a person has one or more risk factors, it is impossible to know exactly how
much these factors may contribute to the future development of cancer. High
risk does not mean that you will necessarily have cancer. Even people who are
at low risk may have cancer. A low risk does not mean that cancer will not
appear: it means that it is less likely that a person will be affected. It is
not always clear why one person has cancer, and another is not.
Cancer risk assessment: Risk assessment is the study of information about an
individual such as age, health history, family history, and lifestyle and diet
choices to determine cancer risk. People often worry about their personal risk
of getting cancer. Knowing your risk factors can help you make personal health
choices that will reduce your risk of having certain cancers. Physicians use a
variety of assessment tools to estimate a person's cancer risk. Your doctor may
recommend genetic testing and genetic counselling if you think your risk may be
higher than normal because of a family cancer syndrome or a family history of
cancer. Understanding your cancer risk can also help you decide if it would be
beneficial for you to:
·
start
a screening program at a younger age or be screened more often than the general
population or
·
have
surgery or take medication to help reduce your risk of cancer.
Cancer is delicate to treat or manage and whose
treatments are extremely expensive when they are available, that's why experts
opt for prevention to reduce the risk factors.
According to current evidence, between 30% and 50% of
cancer deaths could be prevented by modifying or avoiding key risk factors,
including avoiding tobacco products, reducing alcohol consumption, maintaining
a healthy body weight, exercising regularly and addressing infection-related
risk factors.
To reduce the significant
disability, suffering and deaths caused by cancer worldwide, effective and
affordable programmes in early diagnosis, screening, treatment, and palliative
care are needed. Treatment options may include surgery, medicines and/or
radiotherapy; treatment planning should be guided by tumour type, stage and
available resources and informed by the preference of the patient. Palliative
care, which focuses on improving the quality of life of patients and their
families, is an essential components of cancer care. Accelerated action is
needed to improve cancer care, achieve global targets to reduce deaths from
cancer and provide health care for all consistent with universal health
coverage.
By
Mr. Kamagate
Yaya, Intern. Marketing in Sigma Group of Institutes - Vadodara.
Sources:
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