Cancer is the second leading cause of death for all age groups. Men are more likely to develop cancer than women are. Fifty percent of men develop cancer over their lifetime as only one in three women do. The three most common cancers in men are prostate, colon, and Lung. The three most common in women are breast cancer, colon, and lung cancer. There are so many different types and causes of cancers, but doctors and researchers don’t know everything.
Cancer starts when a skin cell is genetically altered. Then certain cells develop or divide more rapidly than normal and change form. “Cancer is the name given to a large group of diseases characterized by the uncontrolled growth and spread of abnormal cells.” (378) There are two different types of cancer. The first one is situ cancer, which is where the cancer doesn’t spread. All of the cells stay in one place. An example of situ cancer would be a tumor. The second major type of cancer is malignant cancer. That is where the cancer doesn’t stay where it started. It spreads throughout the body in some cases. When the cells start to create new cancerous cells it is called neoplasm. The new cells have absolutely no physiological function.
The causes of cancer are a grey area for doctors. There are many causes and some of them are preventable. The main causes are, Benzene and other chemicals, Drinking excess alcohol, Environmental toxins, such as certain poisonous mushrooms and a type of poison that can grow on peanut plants (aflatoxins), Excessive sunlight exposure, Genetic problems, Obesity, Radiation Viruses. Tobacco use is a major problem in the United States. Tobacco is responsible for one in every four deaths annually. It accounts for one in every three cancer deaths and eighty-five percent of all lung cancer deaths. If you are obese you are five times more likely to have cancer throughout your lifetime.
Treatment for cancer can be very hard on the person and their family. The treatment varies on the type and stage of cancer. The stage is how long the person had it and if it has spread from the original tumor. If the cancer is in situ meaning it hasn’t spread, then the most common form of treatment is surgery, where the doctor just removes the tumor. If the cancer has spread, malignant, then the treatment is a lot more difficult. The main treatments for cancer that have spread are chemotherapy and radiation treatment. Some cancers can be so complex that you have to use all three types for treatment. Radiation treatment is painless. It is also weekly and requires a lot of rest for the patient. Chemo destroys the immune system. If a patient is receiving chemo then they should avoid being around people with the flu or even a cold. Both should eat a lot because they both cause excessive weight loss which can cause more problems.
Works Cited
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmedhealth/PMH0002267/
Donatelle Revecca : “Health the Basics” 10th edition
