Download Importance of World Cancer Day

Cancer (medical term: malignant neoplasm) is a class of
diseases in which a group of cells display uncontrolled
growth (division beyond the normal limits), invasion
(intrusion on and destruction of adjacent tissues), and
sometimes metastasis (spread to other locations in the body
via lymph or blood). These three malignant properties of
cancers differentiate them from benign tumors, which are self-limited, do not invade or
metastasize. Most cancers form a tumor but some, like leukemia, do not. The branch of
medicine concerned with the study, diagnosis, treatment, and prevention of cancer is
oncology. Cancer may affect people at all ages, even foetus, but the risk for most
varieties increases with age. Cancer causes about 13% of all deaths. According to the
American Cancer Society, 7.6 million people died from cancer in the world during
2007.Cancers can affect all animals.
Importance of World Cancer Day
Cancer is a leading cause of death around the world. World Health
Organisation (WHO) estimates that 84 million people will die of cancer
between 2005 and 2015 without intervention. World Cancer Day is
marked on 4th February to raise awareness of cancer and to encourage its
prevention, detection, and treatment. It is led by the International Union
against Cancer, a global consortium of more than 280 cancer-fighting organizations in
over 90 countries. World Cancer Day targets the public through global communications
marking, and encourages policy makers and UICC member organizations to make cancer
a political priority.
Symptoms
Cancer is a group of diseases that may cause
almost any sign or symptom. The signs and
symptoms will depend on where the cancer is,
how big it is, and how much it affects nearby
organs or tissues. If a cancer has spread
(metastasized),
symptoms
may
appear
in
different parts of the body. As a cancer grows, it
can begin to push on nearby organs, blood
vessels, and nerves. This pressure creates some of the signs and symptoms of cancer. If
the cancer is in a critical area, such as certain parts of the brain, even the smallest tumor
can cause early symptoms. But sometimes cancer starts in places where it will not cause
any symptoms until it has grown quite large. Pancreas cancers, for example, do not
usually grow large enough to be felt from the outside of the body. Some pancreatic
cancers do not cause symptoms until they begin to grow around nearby nerves (this
causes a backache). Others grow around the bile duct and block the flow of bile. This
causes a yellowing of the eyes and skin called jaundice. By the time a pancreatic cancer
causes these signs or symptoms, it is usually in an advanced stage. This means it has
grown and spread beyond the place it started – the pancreas. A cancer may also cause
symptoms like fever, extreme tiredness (fatigue), or weight loss. This may be because,
cancer cells use up much of the body’s energy supply, or they may release substances that
change the way the body makes energy from food. Or the cancer may cause the immune
system to react in ways that produce these symptoms. Sometimes, cancer cells release
substances into the bloodstream that cause symptoms which are not usually linked to
cancer. For example, some cancers of the pancreas can release substances which cause
blood clots in veins of the legs. Some lung cancers make hormone-like substances that
raise blood calcium levels. This affects nerves and muscles, making the person feel weak
and dizzy.
Treatments
Experimental cancer treatments are medical therapies
intended or claimed to treat cancer (see also tumor) by
improving on, supplementing or replacing conventional
methods
(surgery,
chemotherapy,
radiation,
and
immunotherapy).
Bacterial treatments
Chemotherapeutic drugs have a hard time penetrating tumors to kill them at their core
because these cells may lack a good blood supply. Researchers have been using anaerobic
bacteria, such as Clostridium novyi, to consume the interior of oxygen-poor tumours.
These should then die when they come in contact with the tumour's oxygenated sides,
meaning they would be harmless to the rest of the body. A major problem has been that
bacteria don't consume all parts of the malignant tissue. However combining the therapy
with chemotherapeutic treatments can help to solve this problem.
Radiation Therapy
Radiation therapy is a process that precisely sends high levels of radiation directly to the
cancer cells. Radiation done after surgery can kill cancer cells that may not be seen
during surgery There are various ways to deliver radiation therapy. However, external
radiation is the usual type that is used for treatment of breast cancer.