Cancer can be a debilitating disease. It involves abnormal cell growth that can spread to other parts of the body, if not caught in time (for many cancers). There are over 100 different known cancers that affect humans.
Although, much medical advancement has been made in the treatment and early detection of cancer in the United States and elsewhere, such as Israel, there is still a lot of work that needs to be done before a cure is found. You can help by following a healthy lifestyle, but if you think you might have cancer, contact your physician at once.
Possible signs and symptoms include: a new lump, abnormal bleeding, a prolonged cough, unexplained weight loss, and a change in bowel movements among others. While these symptoms may indicate cancer, they may also occur due to other issues.
Tobacco, obesity, alcohol, not eating health, lack of physical activity and/or heredity issues can be major factors towards acquiring the disease.
Melanoma is a common form of cancer, but is also one of the most treatable if caught in time. Similarly, prostate cancer, if detected early can also be treated and cured with a high degree of certainty. In contrast, certain cancers such as pancreatic cancer is less prone to treatment and the survival rate is unfortunately high among this disease.
Prevention is paramount. Don’t smoke, maintaining a healthy weight, drink alcohol moderately or not at all,, eating plenty of vegetables, fruits and whole grains. Make sure you are vaccinated against certain infectious diseases, avoid processed red meat, and avoiding too much exposure to sunlight and go for regular check ups and follow up with preventative procedures; such as a colonoscopy and breast cancer testing.
The chance of survival depends on the type of cancer and extent of disease at the start of treatment, so make sure you visit your doctor on a consistent basis.
Read our articles on the advancements of cancer treatment to stay abreast of the latest medical technologies available.