Cancer Information and Support Can Hasten Healing and Save Lives

It's the word that no one ever wants to hear: cancer. Although our parents or grandparents might have heard that word and considered it an automatic death sentence, today's focus on prevention, early detection, and treatment means that people who are diagnosed with cancer often have a very good chance of beating the disease.

The Latest Statistics

According to the National Cancer Institute (NCI), death rates from cancer have been decreasing since the early 1990s. In a recently published report on cancer from the years 1975 through 2004 (the latest year for which statistics are available), the NCI noted that, "Death rates decreased on average 2.1 percent per year from 2002 through 2004, nearly twice the annual decrease of 1.1 percent per year from 1993 through 2002."

The NCI emphasized that, "Death rates are the best indicator of progress against cancer." This is because the diagnosis rates of cancer can often be viewed in a positive light. For example, an increase in the diagnosis of prostate cancer (a typically non-fatal cancer) may be the result of a greater number of men obtaining PSA tests. Similarly, an increase in mammography may lead to an increase in the diagnosis of breast cancer, but early detection almost always leads to better outcomes. In other words, more women may be diagnosed with early stage breast cancer, but fewer will die from the disease.

According to the NCI report, mortality rates "decreased for 12 of the 15 most common causes of cancer death in men (i.e., cancers of the lung, prostate, colon and rectum, bladder, kidney, stomach, brain, and oral cavity as well as leukemia, non-Hodgkin lymphoma and myeloma)." Among women, mortality rates "decreased for 10 of the 15 most common cancers (i.e., breast, colon and rectum, stomach, kidney, cervix, brain and bladder cancers as well as non-Hodgkin lymphoma, leukemia, and myeloma)." Unfortunately, while deaths from blood and cervical cancers decreased, those from liver cancer and lung cancer increased for women.

When the Unthinkable Happens

If you or a loved one are diagnosed with cancer - whether bone cancer, skin cancer, ovarian cancer, or some other form - it's natural to jump to conclusions. That is why it is imperative to gather all of the information possible on the form of cancer and its treatments. Thankfully, the Internet can provide a wealth of information on cancer and cancer treatments. Becoming education about the disease your fighting may well be your best weapon in beating the disease. Information gives you the power to ask the right questions of health care providers, better understand your options, and pave the way to making an informed decision about cancer treatment.

Everyone Needs Support

The Internet is also a critical tool for finding the support you need while battling cancer. If you've received the diagnosis, it's extraordinarily helpful to connect with a network of people who share your experience. If a loved one has received the diagnosis, you need to get a grasp of what lies on the road ahead, and get the support you need in order to support the one you love.

Remember, cancer isn't necessarily a death sentence, and information and support are two of the most potent weapons you can have in your arsenal to battle the disease.

An Overview of Cancer

Cancer is second only to cardiovascular disease as the leading cause of death in the Western world.
Although Cancer is primarily a disease of the elderly with more than 60% of deaths from cancer occurring in those over the age of 65, cancer can strike even the youngest of children.

Cancer appears to occur when the growth of cells in the body is out of control and cells divide too rapidly. Cancer can develop in almost any organ or tissue, such as the lung, colon, breast, skin, bones, or nerve tissue.

Most common sites are:
Prostrate 24%
Breast 13%
Lung 13%
Colon and Rectum 9%
Bladder 3%
Uterus 2.5%

The cause of Cancer is believed to be a combination of genetic factors and outside carcinogens such as tobacco, viruses, infection, asbestos, vinyl chloride, inappropriate diet.

Cancer often has no specific symptoms, so it is important that you limit your risk factors and undergo appropriate cancer screening. The signs and symptoms will depend on where the cancer is, the size of the cancer, and how much it affects the nearby organs or structures.

If a cancer spreads (metastasizes), then symptoms may appear in different parts of the body. As a cancer grows, it begins to push on nearby organs, blood vessels, and nerves. If the cancer is in a critical area, such as certain parts of the brain, even the smallest tumor can cause early symptoms.

But sometimes cancers start in places where it does not cause any symptoms until the cancer has grown quite large. Pancreatic cancers, for example, do not usually grow large enough to be felt from the outside of the body.
By the time a pancreatic cancer causes these signs or symptoms, it has usually reached an advanced stage.

A cancer may also cause symptoms common to many other problems, such as; fever, fatigue and weight loss. This may be because the cancer uses up much of the body s energy or it may cause the release of substances which affect metabolism.

Some lung cancers make hormone-like substances that affect blood calcium levels, affecting nerves and muscles and causing weakness and dizziness.

It is important to know what some of the general (non-specific) signs and symptoms of cancer are, but remember that having any of these does not mean that you have cancer.

Most cancers can be treated and some cured, depending on the specific type, location, and stage. The earlier the cancer is found, the better the prognosis.

A good example of the importance of finding cancer early is melanoma skin cancer. Skin cancer can be easy to remove if it has not grown deep into the skin, and the 5-year survival rate (percentage of people living at least 5 years after diagnosis) at this stage is nearly100%.

Screening for breast cancer with mammograms has been shown to reduce the average stage of diagnosis of breast cancer in a population.
Colorectal cancer can be detected through fecal occult blood testing and colonoscopy, which reduces both colon cancer incidence and mortality, presumably through the detection and removal of pre-malignant polyps.
Similarly, cervical cytology testing (using the Pap smear) leads to the identification and excision of precancerous lesions.
Testicular self-examination is recommended for men beginning at the age of 15 years to detect testicular cancer.

SIGNS and SYMPTOMS

Pain may be an early symptom with some cancers such as bone cancers or testicular cancer.

Long-term constipation, diarrhea, or a change in the size of the stool may be a sign of colon cancer.

Pain with urination, blood in the urine, or a change in bladder function (such as more frequent or less frequent urination) could be related to bladder or prostate cancer.

Skin cancers may bleed and look like sores that do not heal.

A long-lasting sore in the mouth could be an oral cancer and should be dealt with right away, especially in patients who smoke, chew tobacco, or frequently drink alcohol.

Sores on the penis or vagina may either be signs of infection or an early cancer, and should not be overlooked.

Unusual bleeding can happen in either early or advanced cancer.

Blood in the sputum (phlegm) may be a sign of lung cancer.

Blood in the stool (or a dark or black stool) could be a sign of colon or rectal cancer.

Blood in the urine may be a sign of bladder or kidney cancer.

A bloody discharge from the nipple may be a sign of breast cancer.

Many cancers can be felt through the skin, mostly in the breast, testicle, lymph nodes (glands), and the soft tissues of the body. A lump or thickening may be an early or late sign of cancer.

While they commonly have other causes, indigestion or swallowing problems may be a sign of cancer of the esophagus, stomach, or pharynx (throat).

A cough that does not go away may be a sign of lung cancer.

A cancer may be suspected for a variety of reasons, but the definitive diagnosis of most malignancies must be confirmed by histological examination of the cancerous cells by a pathologist.

TREATMENT

Once diagnosed, cancer is usually treated with a combination of surgery, chemotherapy and radiotherapy.

Radiation therapy may be used to treat almost every type of solid tumor, including cancers of the brain, breast, cervix, larynx, lung, pancreas, prostate, skin, stomach, uterus, or soft tissue sarcomas.

Most forms of chemotherapy target all rapidly dividing cells and are not specific for cancer cells, although some degree of specificity may come from the inability of many cancer cells to repair DNA damage, while normal cells generally can.

Contemporary methods for generating an immune response against tumours include intravesical BCG immunotherapy for superficial bladder cancer, and use of interferons and other cytokines to induce an immune response in renal cell carcinoma and melanoma patients.

Pain medication, such as morphine and oxycodone, and anti-emetics, drugs to suppress nausea and vomiting, are very commonly used in patients with cancer-related symptoms. transmission and disease.

Advances in cancer research have made a vaccine designed to prevent cancer available. The vaccine protects against four HPV types, which together cause 70% of cervical cancers and 90% of genital warts.

The consensus on diet and cancer is that obesity increases the risk of developing cancer. The cancer-fighting components of food are also proving to be more numerous and varied than previously understood, so patients are increasingly being advised to consume fresh, unprocessed fruits and vegetables for maximal health benefits.
Article Source: http://www.articlesbase.com/cancer-articles/an-overview-of-cancer-427004.html