Cancer is An abnormal growth of cells which
tend to proliferate in an uncontrolled way and, in some cases, to metastasize
(spread).
Cancer is not one disease. It is a group of more than 100
different and distinctive diseases.
Cancer can involve any tissue of the body and have many
different forms in each body area. Most cancers are named for the type of cell
or organ in which they start. If a cancer spreads (metastasizes), the new tumor
bears the same name as the original (primary) tumor.
The frequency of a particular cancer may depend on gender.
While skin cancer is the most common type of malignancy for both men and women,
the second most common type in men is prostate cancer and in women, breast
cancer.
Cancer frequency does not equate to cancer mortality. Skin
cancers are often curable. Lung cancer is the leading cause of death from
cancer for both men and women in the world today.
Benign tumors are NOT cancer; malignant tumors are cancer.
Cancer is NOT contagious.
Cancer is the Latin word for crab. The ancients used the
word to mean a malignancy, doubtless because of the crab-like tenacity a
malignant tumor sometimes seems to show in grasping the tissues it invades.
Cancer may also be called malignancy, a malignant tumor, or a neoplasm (literally,
a new growth).
ORIGIN OF CANCER
All cancers begin in cells, the body's basic unit of life.
To understand cancer, it's helpful to know what happens when normal cells
become cancer cells.
The body is made up of many types of cells. These cells grow
and divide in a controlled way to produce more cells as they are needed to keep
the body healthy. When cells become old or damaged, they die and are replaced
with new cells.
But sometimes this orderly process goes wrong. The genetic
material (DNA) of a cell can become damaged or changed, producing mutations
that affect normal cell growth and division. When this happens, cells do not
die when they should and new cells form when the body does not need them. The
extra cells may form a mass of tissue called a tumor.
COMMON TYPES OF CANCER
A. Bone Cancer
B. Brain Cancer
C. Breast Cancer
D. Endocrine Cancer
E. Gastrointestinal Cancer
F. Gynecologic Cancer
G. Head & Neck Cancer
H. Leukemia
I. Lung Cancer
J. Lymphoma
K. Multiple Myeloma
L. Prostate Cancer
M. Skin Cancer
N. Soft Tissue Sarcoma
CAUSES OF CANCER
some causes of cancer, such as smoking, can be controlled.
Others, like a person's age or family history, can't be changed.
Causes
Scientists have found many factors that make a person more
likely to get hepatocellular liver cancer.
1.Gender
Men are more likely to get liver cancer than are women. This
could be because of the behaviors listed below, such as smoking and alcohol
abuse.
There are also some inherited liver diseases that increase
the risk of liver cancer.
2. Cirrhosis
Cirrhosis (suh-row-sis) is a disease in which liver cells
are damaged and replaced with scar tissue. This can often lead to cancer. In
this country, the major causes of liver cirrhosis are alcohol abuse and hepatitis
B and C. Another cause is a disease that results in too much iron in the liver.
3. Diabetes
Diabetes can increase the risk of liver cancer. This is more
common in diabetics who have other risk factors such as heavy drinking or viral
hepatitis.
4. Obesity
Obesity might increase the risk of getting liver cancer.
5. Aflatoxins
These cancer-causing substances are made by a fungus that
can contaminate peanuts, wheat, soybeans, groundnuts, corn, and rice. Long-term
exposure to aflatoxins can increase the risk of liver cancer. In the United
States and Europe, these foods are tested for aflatoxins.
6. Vinyl Chloride and Thorium Dioxide (Thorotrast)
These chemicals are risk factors for several types of liver
cancer. They have become much less important since Thorotrast is no longer used
and exposure to vinyl chloride is strictly controlled.
7. Anabolic Steroids
These male hormones are used by some athletes to increase
their strength. Long-term use of these can slightly increase the risk of liver
cancer.
8. Arsenic
In some parts of the world, drinking water contaminated with
arsenic increases the risk of liver cancer. This is a concern in some areas of
the United States.
Less Certain Risk Factors for Liver Cancer
Birth Control Pills
Birth control pills may slightly increase the risk of liver
cancer. Most of the studies linking birth control pills and cancer involve
types of pills that are no longer used. Birth control pills are now made in a
different way, and it is not known if they increase liver cancer risk.
Tobacco
Some studies have found a link between smoking and liver
cancer, but the extent of this is not known.
CANCER SYSTOMS TO NOTE
Local Symptoms
Unusual Lumps
Swelling
Hemorrhage/Bleeding
Pain
Ulcers
Jaundice
Systemic Systoms
Weight Loss
Poor Appetite
Fatigue
Cachexia (Loss of weight, muscle atrophy, fatigue, weakness,
and significant loss of appetite)
Excessive Sweating
Night Sweats
Anemia
Thrombosis
Hormonal Changes
HOW TO PREVENT CANCER
Food: Eat organic produce, especially fruits whose peels are
eaten, and avoid red meat. Eat low on the food chain, choosing more fresh
produce and grains and less meat.
Cleaning products: Look under the kitchen sink, and avoid
using anything that carries a skull and crossbones. Buy baking soda and vinegar
instead - they're just as good.
Cellphones: Limit your calls as much as possible, to lower
direct microwave penetration to your brain.
Non-stick cookware and stain repellents: Throw out any old,
cracked non-stick pans, since the chemical, PFOA, used to make the non-stick
coating has been linked to cancer. It is also presernt in stain-resistant
clothing, and waterproof fabrics. Rain-proof gear is OK,, but not next to the
skin.
Personal care items: Avoid anything that contains parabens -
butylparaben, methylparaben - which in some studies have shown estrogenic
activity, and which have also been found in human breast tumours. "We have
to create political change so young mothers and fathers don't need to be
chemists to decide on a shampoo for their baby."
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/1079828
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