Cancer is a Latin word meaning crab or creeping ulcer.
The human body consists of about 3 trillion cells, the body’s tiny building blocks seen only under a microscope. In the middle of each cell is a structure, the nucleus, which is full of deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA), and contains about 100,000 genes which control every activity of the cell. Damage to DNA, for example by tobacco or other harmful substances, can lead to a normal cell becoming cancerous. The cells are bound together by connective tissue to form a variety of organs, such as the skin, heart, lung or liver, together making up the body. Each tissue and organ has cells which have their individual shapes, structures and functions to fulfill. Every cell has a regular lifespan in every organ; it then dies and is replaced by the division of young cells. The body controls the death of old cells and the birth of new cells.
There are numerous causes of cancer a few are listed below
• Growing older
• Tobacco
• Sunlight
• Ionizing radiation
• Certain chemicals & other substances
• Some viruses & bacteria
• Certain hormones
• Family history of cancer
• Alcohol
• Poor diet, lack of physical activity or being overweight
• Growing older
The most important risk factor for cancer is growing older. Most cancers occur in people over age of 65. but people of all ages, including children, can get cancer, too.
• Tobacco
Tobacco use is the most preventable cause of death. Each year, more than 180,000 Americans die from cancer that is related to tobacco use.
Using tobacco products or regularly being around tobacco smoke (environmental or secondhand smoke) increases the risk of cancer.
Smokers are more likely than nonsmokers to develop cancer of lung, larynx (voice box), mouth, esophagus, bladder, kidney, throat, stomach, pancreas, or cervix. They also are more likely to develop acute myeloid leukemia (cancer that starts in blood cells).
People who use smokeless tobacco (sniff or chewing tobacco) are at increased risk of cancer of mouth.
• Sunlight
Ultraviolet (UV) radiation comes from the sun, sunlamps, and tanning booths. It causes early aging of the skin and skin damage that can lead to skin cancer.
• Ionizing radiation
Ionizing radiation can cause cell damage that leads to cancer. This kind of radiation comes from rays that enter the earth’s atmosphere from outer space, radioactive fallout, radon gas, x-rays, and other sources.
Radioactive fallout can come from accidents at nuclear power plants or from the production, testing, or use of atomic weapons. People exposed to fallout may have an increased risk of cancer, especially leukemia and cancers of the thyroid, breast, lung, and stomach
Radon is a radioactive gas that you cannot see, smell, or taste. It forms in soil and rocks. People who work in mines may be exposed to radon. In some parts of the country, radon is found in houses. People exposed to radon are at increased risk of lung cancer.
• Certain chemicals & other substances
People who have certain jobs (such as painters, construction workers, in chemical industry) have an increased risk of cancer. Many studies have shown that exposure to asbestos, benzene, benzidine, cadmium, nickel, or vinyl chloride in the work place can cause cancer.
• Some viruses and bacteria
Being infected with certain viruses or bacteria may cause the risk of developing cancer.
HUMAN PAPILLOMAVIRUSE (HPVs)
HEPATITIS B & HEPATITIS C VIRUSES
HUMAN T-CELL LEUKEMIA/LYMPHOMA VIRUS (HTLV-1)
EPSTEIN-BARR VIRUS
HELICOBACTER PYLORI
HIV
HHV8
• Certain hormones
Doctors may recommend hormones (estrogen alone or estrogen along with progestin) to help control problems (such as hot flashes, vaginal dryness, and thinning bones) that may occur during menopause. However studies show that menopausal hormone therapy can cause serious side effects. Hormones may increase the risk of breast cancer, heart attack, stroke, or blood clots
• Family history of cancer
Most cancers develop because of changes (mutations) in genes. A normal cell may become a cancer cell after series of gene changes occur. Tobacco use, certain viruses, or other factors in a person’s lifestyle of environment can cause such changes in certain types of cells.
Some gene changes that increase the risk of cancer are passed from parent to child. These changes are present at birth in all cells of the body.
It is uncommon for cancer to run in a family. However, certain types of cancer do occur more often in some families than in the rest of the population. For example melanoma and cancers of the breast. Most of the time, multiple cases of cancer in a family are just a matter of chance.
• Alcohol
Having more than two drinks each day for many years may increase the chance of developing cancers of the mouth, throat, esophagus, larynx, liver, and breast. The risk increases with the amount of alcohol that a person drinks. For most of these cancers, the risk is higher for a drinker who uses tobacco.
• Poor diet, lack of physical activity, or being overweight
People who have poor diet, do not have enough physical activity, or are overweight may be at increased risk of several types of cancer. For example, studies suggest that people whose diet is high in fat have an increased risk of cancers of colon, uterus, and prostate. Lack of physical activity and being overweight are risk factors for cancers of the breast, colon, esophagus, kidney, and uterus
Prevention is defined as the reduction of cancer mortality via reduction in the incidence of cancer. This can be accomplished by avoiding a carcinogen or altering its metabolism; pursuing lifestyle or dietary practices that modify cancer causing factors or genetic predispositions; and/or medical intervention (chemoprevention) to successfully reverse preneoplastic changes.
What you eat and drink, how you live, where you work….all these factors can affect your risk for cancer. Some factors related to cancer prevention are
• Tobacco and cancer
• Sun safety
• Food and fitness
• Environmental carcinogens
• School health
• Prevention & Detection Programs
• Smoking is preventable cause of cancer in our society. We can make people aware of its disadvantages by public services or individual efforts.
• The sun’s UV rays cause the vast majority of skin cancer including melanoma, which can be life threatening. The sun burn will fade, but damage to deeper layers of skin remains and can eventually cause cancer. That’s why sun-safe habits should begin in childhood and a lifetime.
• Your diet can affect your risk for cancer. Eating right, being active, and maintaining a healthy weight are important ways to reduce your risk of cancer-as well as heart disease and diabetes. You should cook smart, take control of your weight, and should have fruits and vegetables in your diet.
• Environmental factors can include smoking, diet, sun exposure, and infectious diseases, as well as chemicals and radiation in our homes and work places. Environmental carcinogens include air pollutants, medical treatments, radiations, chemicals, and consumer products.
• School health isn’t just about what’s taught in the classroom. It’s about creating policies and programs that promote a healthy school environment, thereby reinforcing healthful living. It’s about reinforcing healthy habits every day and every year that kids are in school.
• Prevention and detection programs like ACS (American Cancer Society) help educate you about cancer risks, early detection methods, and prevention.
Animal studies have already contributed to the development of a drug that has been described by some as “the vanguard in a new generation of cancer drugs.” Gleevec, a chemotherapy that works by inhibiting a protein that contributes to cancer cell growth, is the first effective treatment for people with chronic myeloid leukemia, Gleevec was developed using cell cultures and mouse studies. Like the research programs devoted to developing a malaria vaccine and treatments for epilepsy and heart disease, cancer research requires the use of many different models. Cell and tissue culture, whole animal models, and clinical (human) studies help scientists better understand both the cause of various diseases and better ways to prevent, treat and possibly cure them. All of these methods were used
in the development of Gleevec. In order to develop a new drug to treat a disease, it is necessary to make use of all of these models. Culture, animal, and human studies each play an important role in the struggle to understand disease and develop cures.
GLEEVEC - A drug that is highly effective in treating chronic myeloid leukemia. Although it took more than a decade of laboratory work to develop Gleevec, the drug gained FDA approval in less than 3 years. Typically, it takes 14 years to win FDA approval by proving that a new drug is safe and effective through clinical trials.
CHEMOTHERAPY-Treatment of a disease with a chemical that has a toxic effect on cancerous tissue (anticancer therapy) or on a disease-producing germ (antibiotic)
The human body consists of about 3 trillion cells, the body’s tiny building blocks seen only under a microscope. In the middle of each cell is a structure, the nucleus, which is full of deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA), and contains about 100,000 genes which control every activity of the cell. Damage to DNA, for example by tobacco or other harmful substances, can lead to a normal cell becoming cancerous. The cells are bound together by connective tissue to form a variety of organs, such as the skin, heart, lung or liver, together making up the body. Each tissue and organ has cells which have their individual shapes, structures and functions to fulfill. Every cell has a regular lifespan in every organ; it then dies and is replaced by the division of young cells. The body controls the death of old cells and the birth of new cells.
Causes of cancer
There are numerous causes of cancer a few are listed below
• Growing older
• Tobacco
• Sunlight
• Ionizing radiation
• Certain chemicals & other substances
• Some viruses & bacteria
• Certain hormones
• Family history of cancer
• Alcohol
• Poor diet, lack of physical activity or being overweight
• Growing older
The most important risk factor for cancer is growing older. Most cancers occur in people over age of 65. but people of all ages, including children, can get cancer, too.
• Tobacco
Tobacco use is the most preventable cause of death. Each year, more than 180,000 Americans die from cancer that is related to tobacco use.
Using tobacco products or regularly being around tobacco smoke (environmental or secondhand smoke) increases the risk of cancer.
Smokers are more likely than nonsmokers to develop cancer of lung, larynx (voice box), mouth, esophagus, bladder, kidney, throat, stomach, pancreas, or cervix. They also are more likely to develop acute myeloid leukemia (cancer that starts in blood cells).
People who use smokeless tobacco (sniff or chewing tobacco) are at increased risk of cancer of mouth.
• Sunlight
Ultraviolet (UV) radiation comes from the sun, sunlamps, and tanning booths. It causes early aging of the skin and skin damage that can lead to skin cancer.
• Ionizing radiation
Ionizing radiation can cause cell damage that leads to cancer. This kind of radiation comes from rays that enter the earth’s atmosphere from outer space, radioactive fallout, radon gas, x-rays, and other sources.
Radioactive fallout can come from accidents at nuclear power plants or from the production, testing, or use of atomic weapons. People exposed to fallout may have an increased risk of cancer, especially leukemia and cancers of the thyroid, breast, lung, and stomach
Radon is a radioactive gas that you cannot see, smell, or taste. It forms in soil and rocks. People who work in mines may be exposed to radon. In some parts of the country, radon is found in houses. People exposed to radon are at increased risk of lung cancer.
• Certain chemicals & other substances
People who have certain jobs (such as painters, construction workers, in chemical industry) have an increased risk of cancer. Many studies have shown that exposure to asbestos, benzene, benzidine, cadmium, nickel, or vinyl chloride in the work place can cause cancer.
• Some viruses and bacteria
Being infected with certain viruses or bacteria may cause the risk of developing cancer.
HUMAN PAPILLOMAVIRUSE (HPVs)
HEPATITIS B & HEPATITIS C VIRUSES
HUMAN T-CELL LEUKEMIA/LYMPHOMA VIRUS (HTLV-1)
EPSTEIN-BARR VIRUS
HELICOBACTER PYLORI
HIV
HHV8
• Certain hormones
Doctors may recommend hormones (estrogen alone or estrogen along with progestin) to help control problems (such as hot flashes, vaginal dryness, and thinning bones) that may occur during menopause. However studies show that menopausal hormone therapy can cause serious side effects. Hormones may increase the risk of breast cancer, heart attack, stroke, or blood clots
• Family history of cancer
Most cancers develop because of changes (mutations) in genes. A normal cell may become a cancer cell after series of gene changes occur. Tobacco use, certain viruses, or other factors in a person’s lifestyle of environment can cause such changes in certain types of cells.
Some gene changes that increase the risk of cancer are passed from parent to child. These changes are present at birth in all cells of the body.
It is uncommon for cancer to run in a family. However, certain types of cancer do occur more often in some families than in the rest of the population. For example melanoma and cancers of the breast. Most of the time, multiple cases of cancer in a family are just a matter of chance.
• Alcohol
Having more than two drinks each day for many years may increase the chance of developing cancers of the mouth, throat, esophagus, larynx, liver, and breast. The risk increases with the amount of alcohol that a person drinks. For most of these cancers, the risk is higher for a drinker who uses tobacco.
• Poor diet, lack of physical activity, or being overweight
People who have poor diet, do not have enough physical activity, or are overweight may be at increased risk of several types of cancer. For example, studies suggest that people whose diet is high in fat have an increased risk of cancers of colon, uterus, and prostate. Lack of physical activity and being overweight are risk factors for cancers of the breast, colon, esophagus, kidney, and uterus
Cancer prevention
Prevention is defined as the reduction of cancer mortality via reduction in the incidence of cancer. This can be accomplished by avoiding a carcinogen or altering its metabolism; pursuing lifestyle or dietary practices that modify cancer causing factors or genetic predispositions; and/or medical intervention (chemoprevention) to successfully reverse preneoplastic changes.
What you eat and drink, how you live, where you work….all these factors can affect your risk for cancer. Some factors related to cancer prevention are
• Tobacco and cancer
• Sun safety
• Food and fitness
• Environmental carcinogens
• School health
• Prevention & Detection Programs
• Smoking is preventable cause of cancer in our society. We can make people aware of its disadvantages by public services or individual efforts.
• The sun’s UV rays cause the vast majority of skin cancer including melanoma, which can be life threatening. The sun burn will fade, but damage to deeper layers of skin remains and can eventually cause cancer. That’s why sun-safe habits should begin in childhood and a lifetime.
• Your diet can affect your risk for cancer. Eating right, being active, and maintaining a healthy weight are important ways to reduce your risk of cancer-as well as heart disease and diabetes. You should cook smart, take control of your weight, and should have fruits and vegetables in your diet.
• Environmental factors can include smoking, diet, sun exposure, and infectious diseases, as well as chemicals and radiation in our homes and work places. Environmental carcinogens include air pollutants, medical treatments, radiations, chemicals, and consumer products.
• School health isn’t just about what’s taught in the classroom. It’s about creating policies and programs that promote a healthy school environment, thereby reinforcing healthful living. It’s about reinforcing healthy habits every day and every year that kids are in school.
• Prevention and detection programs like ACS (American Cancer Society) help educate you about cancer risks, early detection methods, and prevention.
Cancer therapies
Animal studies have already contributed to the development of a drug that has been described by some as “the vanguard in a new generation of cancer drugs.” Gleevec, a chemotherapy that works by inhibiting a protein that contributes to cancer cell growth, is the first effective treatment for people with chronic myeloid leukemia, Gleevec was developed using cell cultures and mouse studies. Like the research programs devoted to developing a malaria vaccine and treatments for epilepsy and heart disease, cancer research requires the use of many different models. Cell and tissue culture, whole animal models, and clinical (human) studies help scientists better understand both the cause of various diseases and better ways to prevent, treat and possibly cure them. All of these methods were used
in the development of Gleevec. In order to develop a new drug to treat a disease, it is necessary to make use of all of these models. Culture, animal, and human studies each play an important role in the struggle to understand disease and develop cures.
GLEEVEC - A drug that is highly effective in treating chronic myeloid leukemia. Although it took more than a decade of laboratory work to develop Gleevec, the drug gained FDA approval in less than 3 years. Typically, it takes 14 years to win FDA approval by proving that a new drug is safe and effective through clinical trials.
CHEMOTHERAPY-Treatment of a disease with a chemical that has a toxic effect on cancerous tissue (anticancer therapy) or on a disease-producing germ (antibiotic)
A Reader's Toolbox
Women should take a lot of care of the sensitive parts of their body like eyes, perfect breasts and teeth etc. As the health of the child depends on the health of the mother so extra care must be taken to improve it. Women should always take healthy foods to ensure perfect nutrition. Women should go for routine checkup of their complete body so that they can find out any internal changes like breast cancer symptoms or any other malfunctioning of the body as well.
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