1. The word ' cancer ' refers to abnormal growth of some cells in the body which later become destructive to the affected body organ. One dictionary define it as a serious disease in which growth of cells, also called cancers, form in the body and kill normal body cells.
picture of a cancer cell2. What are the primary cause of cancer?
Cancers are caused by many factors which include
A. Hereditary
Some cancers are hereditary in nature while some are not. Example of hereditary cancer is breast cancer. About 10% of breast cancer run in the families. Which means that if a mother or relatives had breast cancer there is 10% probability that someone related by blood may develop breast cancer in due course. However, 90% of breast cancer cases is not hereditary.
A typical example of non hereditary cancer is cervical cancer.
B. Generator fumes
It is scientifically proven that long exposure to generator fumes can lead to cancer. Therefore, it is advisable to avoid consistent exposure or inhalation of generator fumes as constant inhalation lead to changes in cells located in the lungs which lead to lung cancer.
C. Diet
Cancers caused by diet are more common among the rich because it is usually associated with diets with high fats. Therefore, it is advisable to reduce the intake of high fat diets along with junk food.
D. Smoking
Smokers will never agree with you that smoking could cause lung cancer. Some of them will be giving an example of an old man they know who is still alive despite that he is a chronic smoker. But it is
important to know that many factors determine whether a smoker will develop cancer or not. Some of the factors are : years of smoking before people develop cancer varies from one person to another, number
of sticks smoke per day, the gap between the smoking of each stick, the diet of the smokers, the type and quality of cigarette and the one I count as the most important is that the immune system of smokers
which differ from one another. Therefore, what can easily affect someone may not affect or take longer time to affect another.
smoking increase the risk of lung cancerpassive smokers
If you are not a smoker, you are also at risk if you are around those that smoke. Passive smokers such
As wives, friends and children of smokers can easily develop lung cancer than non passive smokers.
Wherefore, it is advisable not to stay around smokers. Don't allow smokers to smoke in your house or office. If your neighbor smokes and the fumes always reach you, tell him/her to change and report him to the police if he doesn't. The law prohibit smokers from smoking in public places. I could remember one day when one of my colleague was smoking. An elderly person who was passing by and who was once a smoker stopped and gave an illustration about how smoking can cause lung cancer. The elderly man took out a white handkerchief, collected the cigarette from my colleague, wrapped the handkerchief around the base of the stick, put it in my colleague mouth and told him to smoke. He took it back and showed us how the part of the handkerchief that serve as a sieve between the cigarette and the mouth had been darkened by the
fumes from the cigarette. He now said " with every smoke that is how your lung become darkened with fumes and this is what result into lung cancer."
He thought us a lesson I can never forget.
E. Other causes
Other causes of cancer are infectious such as in liver, bladder and cervical cancer. The infections are caused by enviromental degradation and exposure to ionizing radiation etc.
3. Prevention and cure for cancers
Chemotherapy
This is the use of drugs to confine and kill the cancer cells. It is significantly effective in the treatment of blood cancer.
Surgery
This is usually common and is the process of using surgical operation to eliminate and cure the cancerous cell
Radiotherapy is another method of treating cancer
Avoid constant eating of smoked fish and meat
My biological teacher once advised that it is better to avoid the habit of eating too much smoked fish and meat. He said the black color of smoked fishes and meats is carbon monoxide, which is the smoke from the fire and carbon monoxide is cancerous in nature. So, consistent eating of smoked fishes and meats could mean consistent intake of carbon monoxide
The use of hepatitis B vaccine can greatly prevent the development of liver cancer
Early screening and regular check up
Early screening and regular checkup are the best cure for cancer. This will lead to early detection of the cancer before it spread to other organs of the body.
4. Hope for cancer patients
All in all, there is hope for cancer patients because the rate of cancer death has been reduced to the barest minimum in medically advanced countries, especially in the USA.
Research is also ongoing on how to totally eliminate the deadly harm of this scourge called cancer.
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