Cancer
Cancer is the cause of
about 30% of all premature deaths from Non-Communicable diseases among
adults aged 30-69. Cancer is a collective type of disease where body cells
divide uncontrollably and spread into surrounding tissues. Cancer is caused by
changes in DNA. Most cancer-causing DNA changes occur in sections of DNA called
genes.
IARC (International
Agency for Research on Cancer) estimates on the global cancer burden,
indicating that it has risen to 19.3 million cases and 10 million cancer deaths
in 2020.
There are two forms of cancer:
• Benign
cancer like a Brain tumor
• Malignant
cancer-like Blood cancer
Cancer in Women
1. Breast cancer:
The most common type
of cancer among women. According to WHO, breast cancer represents about 25% of
all cancers. American Institute for
cancer research, estimates that it is one of the leading cancers types other
than lung cancer worldwide for the last decade.
2. Ovarian cancer
Although this type of
cancer occurs at any age, older women are at greater risk. In 2018,
approximately 22,000 new cases of ovarian cancer were diagnosed.
3. Endometrial cancer
It
is a cancer of the inner lining of the Uterus. Risk of this cancer type
increases in older women. Women undergoing hormonal therapies for breast cancer
are likely to develop this type of cancer. It accounts for 4.8% of all cancers.
Cancer in men
1.Prostate Cancer
Men are at higher risk
of prostate cancer, approximately 1,65,000 men were diagnosed with this type of
cancer in 2018, It stands at second place in terms of causing death in men.
2.Bladder Cancer
Bladder
cancer is the abnormal growth of bladder cells and is common among men than
women. Bladder cancer is the fourth most common cancer in men, striking 36 in
every 100,000 and killing eight among them.
3.Colorectal cancer (also known as Bowel
Cancer)
Colorectal cancer is the third most common
cancer that affects both men and women. There were over 1.8 million new cases
diagnosed in 2018 according to the American Institute for cancer research.
4. Lung cancer
Lung cancer has the
highest incidence and mortality rate globally. In 2020, there was an estimation
that 19.3 million new cancer cases and nearly 10 million cancer deaths
worldwide according to the Global Cancer Statistics 2020 report from the
American Cancer Society (ACS) and the International Agency for Research on
Cancer.
Other cancers that are
most common in both men and women are Liver cancer, Leukemia cancer,
Neuroblastoma cancer and etc.
CHILDHOOD CANCER
•
Different from the older group of cancer
caused in children, approximately 300,000 children aged 0 to 19 years old are
diagnosed each year.
•
The most common categories of childhood
cancers include Leukemia, Brain cancers, Lymphomas, and Solid tumors, such as Neuroblastoma
and Wilms tumor.
•
In high-income countries, more than 80% of
children with cancer are cured, but in many Low- and Middle-Income Countries (LMICs)
only about 20% are cured.
Preventive measures
Prevention
is better than cure.
About 25% of cancer in
women and 33% of men could be preventable according to the JAMA Oncology
study journal.
So, what we really
care about is how to reduce the risk of cancer by changing our activities like.
A healthy lifestyle like exercising at
least twice a week, practicing yoga, a diet that includes a lot of Fruits, Green
vegetables like Tomatoes, Carrots, Spinach, Whole grains, Limited meat, Green tea.
Moderate alcohol
consumption.
Avoid smoking, tobacco
helps in a lot better way to prevent many cancers like lung cancer, prostate
cancer, etc.
Avoid
contraceptive pills specifically after the age of 35 since it leads to cancer
that is caused in women.
In
few cancers in women, breastfeeding for a longer time reduces the risk of
cancer, like ovarian cancer.
Avoiding
hormonal therapy that includes estrogens also contributes to preventing cancer.
Maintaining
a healthy weight and being physically active.
The HPV vaccine helps in preventing HPV [Human Papilloma Virus] related cancer like
cervical cancer. So, all boys and girls between 11 and 12 years old should get
vaccinated.
The best way to protect from skin cancer is, limiting exposure to the sun UV rays
and usage of sunscreen lotion with at least SPF 30 or higher.
Avoid
plastic containers to consume food.
Knowing
the family history of cancer helps in taking precautions to prevent cancer in
early-stage if any.
Spotting cancer early
Screening cancer at an early stage. Most
cancer can be detected in its early stage and it becomes much easier to treat
based on gender, age, and few symptoms. For example
Breast cancer: change in the shape,
discharge from the nipple, thickening or lump on the breast or all the way
under the armpit, pointed pain or discomfort, particularly in either of the breast, should never go neglected.
Colon cancer: usually
asymptomatic, but if developed the common symptoms like change in bowel habit
towards diarrhea, blood in the urine leading to anemia, weight loss, the lump
in the abdomen is common.
Lung cancer: persistent cough
[2-3 weeks], chest infections, coughing up blood, weight loss, chest and
shoulder pain, breathlessness conditions.
While the exact cause of or any cancer, for
that matter – is unknown, there are several risk factors that have been identified,
such as radiation exposure, previous cancer treatment, age, so screening cancer
in early stage helps in easy treating of that cancer.
Though cancer has destructed millions of lives, worldwide, there
is always a hope that stands first not the fear.