October is international breast cancer awareness month. So, I have decided to share some researched information on cancer, the forms of cancers and how best to prevent it.
Like the good doctors would say, prevention is better than cure!
The issue of cancer should be a concern for everyone, who knows, one day you may one day save a life.
So the question is, WHAT DO YOU KNOW ABOUT CANCER?
If nothing, then you should start and here is a good place. And if you know a lot, then good, you can help educate the rest of us!
So, what is CANCER?
Cancer is a class of diseases characterized by out-of-control cell growth. There are over 100 different types of cancer, and each is classified by the type of cell that is initially affected.
Cancer harms the body when altered cells divide uncontrollably to form lumps or masses of tissue called tumors (except in the case of leukemia where cancer prohibits normal blood function by abnormal cell division in the blood stream). Tumors can grow and interfere with the digestive, nervous, and circulatory systems, and they can release hormones that alter body function.
Tumors that stay in one spot and demonstrate limited growth are generally considered to be benign.
More dangerous, or malignant, tumors form when two things occur:
• A cancerous cell manages to move throughout the body using the blood or lymphatic systems, destroying healthy tissue in a process called invasion.
• That cell manages to divide and grow, making new blood vessels to feed itself in a process called angiogenesis.
When a tumor successfully spreads to other parts of the body and grows, invading and destroying other healthy tissues, it is said to have metastasized. This process itself is called metastasis, and the result is a serious condition that is very difficult to treat.
Detection is just the first step. The next step is to make sure the patient receives the results of appropriate tests and is guided to treatment.
Early detection does not necessarily depend on expensive diagnostic equipment. In countries that don’t have widely available mammography technology for mass screening, routine clinical examination performed by well-trained community health workers, nurses and physicians can help diagnose more cases earlier.
Factors that are known to increase the Risk of Cancer
• Cigarette Smoking and Tobacco Use
• Infections
• Radiation
• Immunosuppressive Medicines
Factors that may affect the Risk of Cancer
• Diet
• Alcohol
• Physical Activity
• Obesity
• Diabetes
• Environmental Risk Factors
Scientists study risk factors and protective factors to find ways to prevent new cancers from starting. Anything that increases your chance of developing cancer is called a cancer risk factor; anything that decreases your chance of developing cancer is called a cancer protective factor.
Some risk factors for cancer can be avoided, but many cannot. For example, both smoking and inheriting certain genes are risk factors for some types of cancer, but only smoking can be avoided. Risk factors that a person can control are called modifiable risk factors.
Many other factors in our environment, diet, and lifestyle may cause or prevent cancer. This summary reviews only the major cancer risk factors and protective factors that can be controlled or changed to reduce the risk of cancer. Risk factors that are not described in the summary include certain sexual behaviors, the use of estrogen, and being exposed to certain substances at work or to certain chemicals.
Not Nigerians' kind of change, but a real change...time for a cure!
Your gal!
Real Gentlehawk.
