cancer as a disease that affects a large population of people in the world

cancer as a disease that affects a large population of people in the world

ABSTRACT

This research paper talks about cancer as a disease that affects a large population of people in the world. According to the WHO, cancer is the leading cause of death in the USA and Europe. Cancer is a collection of diseases in which body cells behave abnormally, for instance, cells divide indiscriminately and spread around tissues causing tumours, old cells fail to die as normal and new cells are produced whether needed or not by the body causing abnormalities. Cancer can be caused by gene mutation or damage. These changes are brought about by exposure to carcinogenic which are harmful to the human body, radiation, UV rays, viruses such as HPV(human papillomavirus), HIV (human immunodeficiency virus), tobacco smoking and alcohol these are lifestyle contributes, environmental carcinogenic agents such as asbestos, benzene, hormonal changes, genetic factors, chronic inflammation and obesity that is lack of exercises. There are four major types of cancer carcinoma this type originates from the skin and internal organs lining these are skin, ovarian, lung, colon, breast and pancreas the second type is lymphomas, which are cancers of the lymphocytes, for instance, leukemia which is blood cancer, third is sarcoma these are cancer that emanates from the bones, fat, muscle, cartilages, blood vessels and other connective tissues the fourth one is melanomas these are cancers of the cells that produce melanin to the skin. Early cancer screening is important and necessary for people to undergo to detect the disease at an early stage thereby increasing chances of treatment and total elimination of the disease, reduce mortality rates and increase chances of survival to patients. Cancer does not have specific symptoms at the early stages. Symptoms vary and can resemble those of other common diseases. Some are as follows fatigue, weight loss, persistent sore throat, change of skin colour, lumps, blood in the stool. Balentine, J.R & Davis,c.p.(2018).cancer should be avoided and several steps should be adopted for instance healthy lifestyles this involves eating well-balanced diet, exercises, avoid obesity avoid carcinogenic items and beverages, tobacco, alcohol, early vaccines such as HPV vaccine for young ladies, avoiding risky behaviours to prevent HIV, Hepatitis and HPV viruses, protecting oneself from harmful UV rays of the sun and early screening and detection. stages of the disease are stage 0, I, ii, iii and stage iv. Various treatment is available from screening, radiotherapy, chemotherapy, surgery and other medication. Cancer detected early can be treated successfully without chances of reoccurring.

INTRODUCTION.

Cancer is a collection of diseases in which body cells behave abnormally, gene mutates and cell division is more rapid than normal, old cells refuse to die thereby accumulating around organs and form tumours. Cancer causes 20% of deaths in Europe.3 million new cases are diagnosed and 1.7million deaths each year. This is according to WHO/Europe. Cancer can be caused by a variety of factors, to a small percentage, it is hereditary but can also affect individuals with no history of the disease in their families. Breast cancer mostly affects women in Europe .according to WHO 69,000 new cases and 30,000 deaths were estimated to have occurred in 2018 alone.

CAUSES OF CANCER.

Cancer can be caused by several factors. Gene mutation or gene damage can cause cancer, gene mutation can come through exposure to radiation elements or carcinogenic chemical substances such as asbestos and benzene that are harmful to the human body. Cancer can also be caused by biological or internal factors such as age, gender, defects and skin type, environmental exposure to UV radiation can be a major cause of cancer especially affecting the skin. Lifestyle-related factors for instance obesity, lack of exercises, eating certain types of foods such as nitrites and polyaromatic hydrocarbon generated by barbecuing food, tobacco and alcohol. Engaging in risky sexual behaviour exposes one to HPV Human Papilloma Virus, Hepatitis and HIV that greatly contribute to cancer-related diseases.

TYPES OF CANCER.

There are more than 200 types of cancer affecting human beings in the world today. However, they can be divided into four categories

1. A CARCINOMA-these rare cancer that affects the skin and lining of internal organs, colon, epithelial, ovarian, papilloma and prostate cancer is an adenocarcinoma.
2. CENTRAL NERVOUS SYSTEM CANCERS-these are cancers that affect the brain and the spinal cord
3. LYMPHOMA AND MYELOMA-These are cancers that emanates from the immune system
4. SARCOMA-these are cancers that begin in the bone, cartilage, connective tissues, blood vessels,muscle, fat and supportive tissues

5.LEUKEMIA- This is a type of cancer of the bone marrow which creates blood, effective treatment is usually bone marrow transplant from a matching donor

6. MELANOMAS -are cancers that begin in cells that produce melanin for the skin

CANCER STAGING.

Cancer staging is used for many cancer types and is classified into 3, this is according to AJCC American Joint Committee on Cancer TNM system is used to determine the extent of the disease location and spread in the body for an oncologist to prescribe the correct treatment for each particular patient.

T-Tumour –This is to determine how large the tumour is, the location and the spread

N-Nodes-This is used to determine if the cancer has spread to the lymph nodes in the body

M-Mastitis-this is to determine if the cancer has spread to other organs and body parts.

CANCER STAGES,

Most cancer diseases have four stages, stage o, I, ii, iii and stage iv. These stages are divided this way for the oncologist to be able to determine the right treatment for each stage due to the spread of the disease to the lymph nodes, organs and other parts of the body.

Stage 0-This stage is called cancer in situ meaning the tumour has not yet spread to other parts of the body and mostly is curable by surgery to remove the entire tumour.

Stage i-this is early stages of cancer, normally the tumour has not grown deeply and has not spread to the lymph nodes

Stages ii and iii-This describes cancer that has grown deeply into large cancer and tumour and has spread to surrounding tissues, lymph nodes but not the entire body.

Stage iv-This is metastatic cancer meaning it has spread to other organs and body parts in the patient.

STEPS TO TAKE TO AVOID CANCER.

Scientists have researched widely on cancer-causing agents and have advised the population to take precaution and avoid the disease .some of the recommended measures are as follow: People should encourage a healthy lifestyle to avoid cancer-related diseases and tobacco smoking, alcohol, barbequed foods should be avoided. Exercises should be done to keep lean and avoid obesity.   Avoid exposure to environmental elements such as UV rays, Radiation that can cause skin cancer Avoid risky sexual behaviour as this contributes to a cancer-related virus such as HIV, HPV the human papillomavirus causing ovarian cancer. Get regular medical checkups. Early screening

CONCLUSION. Cancer can be treated effectively and completely if detected early. The disease is not hereditary per se but can affect any person notwithstanding age, gender, economic status or race. Oncologists have come up with treatment procedures that cure or prolong life.