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Cancer- The Real
Facts
by Lisa
Hyde
Cancer has a fearsome reputation. Not without reason
either. It is a disease that has not yet fully yielded to the skills and
intelligence of medical scientists and doctors. And, as if the pain from the
disease is not enough, the treatment for cancer, too, inflicts heavy suffering
on the body.
Cancer is a disease characterized by uncontrolled and
abnormal cell division. Cancer spreads in the body and destroys tissues when
the cancer cells travel through the blood stream or the lymphatic system. The
runaway growth of cells is caused by mutations to the DNA in the cells that
makes the cells unable to control cell division. This mutation can either be
inherited or acquired. The mortality rate in cancer depends on the type of
cancer and where it develops.
Among cancers, lung cancer is the biggest
killer, causing up to 3 million deaths every year worldwide. It affects the
above-50 age group population most and is one of the most common types of
cancers that occur in the Western countries. The main risk factor for lung
cancer is smoking. Cigarette smoke, especially, contains several carcinogens.
It is estimated that 80 per cent of all lung cancers are caused by smoking. The
role of passive smoking in causing lung cancer is also being recognized by
studies.
Another carcinogen that causes lung cancer is asbestos. This
substance, which is widely used because of its fire-resistant qualities, causes
a rare type of cancer called mesothelioma cancer. In mesothelioma asbestos lung
cancer or asbestos cancer, malignant cells develop in the pleura, the outer
lining of the lungs and the chest cavity.
The problem with asbestos
cancer is that diagnosis is difficult. For one, the symptoms of mesothelioma
cancer occur only 30-50 years after the exposure to asbestos. Second, the
symptoms of asbestos lung cancer, such as shortness of breath and chest pain,
are similar to those of many other medical conditions.
The incidence
of mesothelioma asbestos lung cancer has increased in the last two decades.
Still it is considered a relatively rare form of lung cancer, because the
incidence rate is only 1 per 1,000,000 people. This could be as high as 7-40
per 1,000,000 in the industrialized nations. By contrast, the incidence of lung
cancer is 1,000 per 1,000,000.
The common lung cancer treatments
include surgery, chemotherapy, and radiation therapy. However, the conventional
treatment methods have not been very successful in the case of asbestos cancer,
yielding only a median survival rate of 6-12 months after the presentation.
Again, surgery does not have much effect on small-cell lung cancer. A
treatment method for lung cancer that has become increasingly popular in recent
years is radiofrequency ablation. This technique is especially effective in
destroying the cancerous cells inside the tumors. These cells are cooked by
inserting a small heat probe into the tumor. This technique is also non-toxic
and causes very little pain for the patient.
However, there is hope
for the cancer-affected. Scientists are developing new techniques of treatment,
such as molecular targeted therapies, for lung cancer. Better and more
effective therapies can be expected as scientists and researchers coax out more
secrets from the human cells.
About the Author: Lisa Hyde-Barrett, a registered
nurse and wellness advocate, understands the relationship between awareness and
prevention and make breast cancer awareness a top goal! Please visit her site:
http://www.support-cancer-awareness.com
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